Meet the team
Our Staff
Faiza Hanslo
Faiza is a founding staff of the trust. She came from South Africa and is a mother and grandmother of a large family so is very experienced in supporting settlement for families. Faiza manages the foodbank and supports the social work programme. She has strong networks across the Muslim communities in Auckland.
Bahja Ali
Somali/Arabic-Speaking Social Worker. Bahja.ali@ummatrust.co.nz. 022 164 6658
Bahja is a social worker with a degree from UNITEC. She has worked extensively in various social work agencies empowering ladies and young women to lead successful lives in New Zealand. Bahja has language skills in Arabic and Somali as well as English. As a wife and young mother herself she relates well to families. Bahja prides herself in having an eye for detail; on being a good systems manager, meeting targets and producing great outcomes in partnership with families.
Bella Munro
Social Work Manager. Bella.munro@ummatrust.co.nz. 022 044 0411
Bella came to The Umma Trust as a social work intern in 2020 whilst studying her masters, in social work at Auckland University. She is
working full time in 2021 co-ordinating the social work programme. Bella is married with 3 children. Bella has experience working with refugee settlement from her previous role with Asylum Seekers Trust. All the staff are in awe of the miracles she achieves in resolving
wicked problems and enabling refugees to build the happy life in New Zealand that is their plan.
Shewaynesh Beyene
Amharic/Tigrinya/Arabic-
Shewaynesh is co-ordinator of outreach programmes including the Driving Programme and May Road School Mothers programme. She is a mother and grandmother and is very experienced in supporting settlement for families in Auckland. Originally from Ethiopia and having lived in Sudan she is quite a linguist. Shewaynesh interprets in English, Amharic, Tigrinya and Arabic.
Anne Lee
Anne Lee has worked in refugee resettlement since 1984 first at the Mangere Settlement Centre and then in the Ministry of Education. Anne is a mother and grandmother. In 2014 Anne took on the role as Manager for The Umma Trust to which she brings her knowledge of refugee settlement and relationships with refugee background people and her networks in central and local government.
Khurshed Shah
Farsi/Dari/Pastho-speaking Support Worker. Khurshed.shah@ummatrust.co.nz. 022 140 6008
Khurshed is a social worker with special experience in working with refugee families from Afghanistan, having worked in this area both in New Zealand and overseas. She holds a Masters Graduate in Sociology from Kabul University and was a teacher in Afghanistan. In New Zealand she has trained in social work and mental health and as an interpreter. Since 2008 she has worked in Auckland to empower Afghan women from diverse ethnic and language backgrounds with special expertise in strategies for new arrival refugees.
Rasha Allawnah
Driving Programme, Community Connector and Arabic-speaking Support Worker. Rasha.allawnah@ummatrust.co.nz
Rasha is from Jordan and a mother of 2 children. She completed a BSC in Computer Science at the University of Jordan. Arabic is her mother-tongue and she is proficient in English. She has, as well as her home country Jordan, lived previously in Colchester UK, United Arabi Emirates, Kuwait and now New Zealand.
She has a diversity of work experience including with refugees, which is beneficial to the divers programmes that Umma Trust offers: as a child trainer with the Jordan River Foundation; advocate for the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child; child abuse prevention; Student life co-ordinator at SABIS Educational Services in United Arab Emirates; District Co-ordinator with education improvement programme ERFKE11 in Jordan; Higher Education and Training Co-ordinator Injaz Jordan; and Student Affairs Officer at Al-Resala Bilingual School. She worked at Citizens Advice Bureau in Auckland before starting with The Umma Trust in 2021.
It is a privilege for The Umma Trust to have someone with Rasha’s wide experience expand our expertise and community connectivity.
Netsanet Tesfay
Amharic/Tigrinya-speaking Social Worker. Netsanet.tesfay@ummatrust.co.
Netsanet is a Registered Social Worker. She has a social work degree from UNITEC and experience as a social worker with various agencies joining Umma Trust in 2019. Originally from Ethiopia she speaks Amharic and English. She is the mother of a young son. As well as social work Netsanet is also an excellent teacher and is very successful in tutoring those seeking a driving licence. Netsanet is passionate about helping especially young people in her own community make a success of their life in Auckland.
Alison Wells
Alison is the book keeper. She has extensive experience in both Australia and New Zealand in a range of financial systems and works closely with our accountant Rachel Bailey.
Mahjooba Yousufi
Farsi/Dari-speaking Support Worker (Farsi/Dari Women’s Learner’s License program and Farsi/Dari Children’s Language program) . Mahjooba.yousufi@ummatrust.co.
Amal Mender
Programme Co-ordinator Health Promotion Amal.mender@ummatrust.co.nz. 020 4101 4044