I began working at JRS in 2020 as an SGBV Caseworker at the JRS Women’s Space. Prior to this, I had worked for over ten years in refugee services.

My mother was politically active in Sudan and my family faced extreme political persecution as a result. Amnesty International was very concerned about our safety and we were asked to flee the country. My family moved to the U.S when I was young and I now call New Hampshire home.

My dream for as long as I could remember was to become a doctor, following the suit of my siblings. However, after experiencing the pain of political persecution that was inflicted upon my family, I began to question politics and what it is that makes people abuse power. This question led me to change my goal of studying medicine to studying politics.

I gained my undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of New Hampshire and Proceeded to do my Masters in International Relations at Norwich University in Vermont.

Throughout my career, I have worked with refugees and migrants, in particular women and girls. I have worked hard to protect young girls from the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM), seeking ways to eliminate the practice among refugee girls as well as helping women who were subjected to FGM.

Women and girls are entitled to fundamental human rights – and JRS Australia has given me the opportunity to continue serving women and girls to help them feel safe in their new environment.

In 2022, Sara shifted roles from SGBV Caseworker to Project Officer for Finding Safety, and in 2023, Sara became the coordinator of the project, leading a team of specialist sexual and gender based violence practitioners supporting women on temporary visas who have experienced or are at risk of experiencing violence.

As coordinator, Sara leads project planning, reporting, data collection and is the lead representative at key sector forums including the National Advocacy Group for women of Temporary Visas experiencing violence and the DVNSW Community of Practise for women and LGBTQIA+ on temporary visas experiencing violence.