Berhan Ahmed: a tireless community advocate determined to help vulnerable African-Australians
Berhan Ahmed is an Eritrean-Australian social activist. He is a co-founder and former chairman of the African Think Tank, a well-reputed organisation that has been advocating for African-Australians in Victoria for many years.
In 2004, Berhan was the first immigrant born in Africa to run for an Australian parliamentary office. Ahmed was also presented the 2009 Victorian Australian of the Year award.
Berhan Ahmed, academic and social activist
Berhan has a PhD in Agricultural Science and is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne. He has been instrumental in building bridges between the African and wider Australian communities, forging relationships with politicians, community, business leaders and philanthrophic organisations.
Berhan encourages people to focus on the things that unite them with others as human beings, not the superficial differences. He initiated and implemented a number of projects for Melbourne’s African community. He has also personally supported and continues to help many newly-arrived refugees with offer guidance and a helping hand through the difficult process of arriving in a new country after traumatic experience.
More recently, Berhan founded African-Australian Multicultural Employment and Youth Services (AAMEYS), a Not-for- Profit community-based organisation, which is responding to challenges that African Australians are facing in the areas of employment social isolation, education, mental health and racism, amongst other things.
