Latrobe Health Assembly
Afra Sarfaraz
Board Member
What is your connection to the Latrobe Valley? Do you live, work or play here?
I work in the Latrobe Valley and live in Baw Baw. I also have strong connection to Latrobe Valley and Gippsland more broadly through my work as Diversity Advisor with Gippsland Multicultural Service and volunteer work as the President of the United Muslim Sisters of Latrobe Valley.
What inspires you to work with the Latrobe Health Assembly?
I have been a member of the Latrobe Health Assembly since its inception, joining with a clear vision, to support the community’s health and wellbeing. The Latrobe Valley has faced significant health challenges, and I am committed to contributing where needed. Drawing on what I observe in the community, I bring a lens focused on vulnerable, multicultural and culturally and linguistically diverse communities to help inform and improve health outcomes.
What brings you joy outside of work hours?
Outside work —My family, friends and community bring me joy.
Where is your favourite place to visit in the Latrobe Valley?
I am lucky to be living in a wonderful place. have so many amazing places to enjoy nature. One of my all-time favourite places is Blue Rock lake.
What gives you hope for the future of health and wellbeing in Latrobe Valley?
What gives me hope for the future of health and wellbeing in the Latrobe Valley is the people - their passion to improve quality of life, their habit of looking out for one another, and the way they show up to support each other when and where it’s needed most. That spirit of collective care is our strongest asset. As my favourite poet Allama Iqbal said in Urdu (my language): Fard qaim rabt-e-millat se hai, tanha kuch nahi Mauj hai darya mein aur bairun-e-darya kuch nahi “The individual exists through connection with the community; alone, he is nothing. A wave is only in the river — outside the river, it is nothing.” That sense of collective strength is what gives me hope. In the Latrobe Valley, we rise together.
The Latrobe Health Assembly respectfully acknowledges Aboriginal people as the Original Custodians of the land we walk on today — the land of the Braiakaulung people of the Gunaikurnai nation and passes on respect to their Elders past and present, future and emerging.
The Latrobe Health Assembly celebrates, values and includes people of all backgrounds, genders, sexualities, cultures, bodies and abilities.
All gifts of $2 or more are tax deductible and go directly to our programs. The Latrobe Health Assembly is a registered charitable organisation recognised by the ACNC and the ATO. ABN 54 996 117 267.
