Dr Michael Brownstein
Location icon Australia

“Refugees are particularly dedicated and resilient medical professionals”

A Syrian refugee student has received a life-changing mentorship from an Australian doctor thanks to UNHCR’s innovative Connecting Worlds app.

When Australian doctor Mick Brownstein was asked to mentor a Syrian refugee medical student, he knew he had an opportunity to make a difference.

The UN Refugee Agency brought Mick and Omar, a 24-year-old Syrian refugee living in Jordan, together using the Connecting Worlds app.

Dr Mick learnt about Omar’s perilous journey from Syria to Jordan, where he pursued his high school studies despite the tremendous obstacles he faced as a refugee. After graduating with top marks and showing passion for helping his community, Omar was awarded the DAFI (Albert Einstein German Academic Refugee Initiative) scholarship to study medicine at Hashemite University.

Dr Mick used his years of experience in medicine to provide advice and companionship to Omar, who found his help invaluable.

Watch the video to see what Omar and Doctor Mick had to say about the three-month mentorship.

To learn more about mentoring refugees through Connecting Worlds, please contact Aylin Salt on (02) 9276 6871 or [email protected]

Related Stories

View all stories
Nazley Khan
Location icon
Australia

Interview with Nazley Khan

Nazley Khan explains why her faith is central to her philanthropy

Hevin, a 30-year-old mother of three from Aleppo, with her daughter Selin inside their home in Istanbul.
Location icon
Australia

“It’s a good feeling to know my donation is going directly to women who need it”

Marie Richardson works for University of Notre Dame supporting student health workers in the Kimberley and is one of the Leading Women Fund’s Founding...
©A4U/Jarrod Bryant
Location icon
Australia

Celebrating refugees on World Refugee Day

Australia for UNHCR raises $257,000 for Ukraine emergency at World Refugee Day lunch.

Our fundraising impact

The majority of funds raised by Australia for UNHCR are directed to UNHCR’s emergency operations, providing the ready funds and resources to respond quickly and effectively in situations of crisis and disaster.

75%
Humanitarian programs
13%
Admin
12%
Fundraising