On Tuesday, July 5 2022, The 2022 NSW Humanitarian Awards was held by STARTTS in partnership with the Refugee Council of Australia. The Award was presented officially by Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC QC, Governor of New South Wales, in an official ceremony at Government House, Sydney.
This year, the Humanitarian Award in the Refugee category was presented to Mr Bilal Waheed, the Executive Director of Massoud Foundation Australia.
The Governor General of NSW said, “It is a great honour that we have always hosted this valuable award to individuals and organizations that put tireless efforts to support refugees and asylum seekers. This award exemplifies values vital to the well-being of our State.”
The CEO of STARTTS Mr Jorge Aroche said, “The Humanitarian Awards recognize the positive contributions people make to support people rebuilding their lives in Australia.”
This year’s Refugee Week theme is “Healing”. We believe that supporting refugees and empathizing with them strengthens our social cohesion and help them to smoothly resettle into their new communities. This work is not done alone but together with the help of society and relevant organisations.
The Massoud Foundation Australia received this award to acknowledge the distinguished services the organisation provided in the refugee sector in Australia. Massoud Foundation is committed to serving the community, particularly those from Afghanistan as well as wider Central Asia and also the Middle East. We are proud to be providing services in such a remarkable way to be considered for such honours.
We would like to thank Her Excellency, the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC QC, Governor of New South Wales and Mr Dennis Wilson, STARTS, Refugee Council of Australia for the recognition and the honour. Also, we would like to thank Mr Michael Miller RFD, Official Secretary to the Governor, Starts, Refugee Council of Australia and the team at Government House, Sydney for their kind hospitality in presenting the official Award Ceremony on Gadigal land.
