Rosemary Kariuki is the Multicultural Community Liaison Officer for the Campbelltown Police Local Area Command. She specialised in helping migrants and refugees who are facing domestic violence, language barriers and financial distress. Her experience has helped Rosemary recognise that Isolation is a huge issue for the many migrant and refugee women. Many aren’t used to going out alone, have no transport and speak little or no English. So, Rosemary devised ways to help women leave their house and meet other women in social setting.
In partnership with the African Womens Group, which she is a founder member, she helped start the African Women Dinner Dance now in its 18th year, more than 400 women attend the annual event. She also started the Cultural Exchange Program which takes women to the regional areas of NSW and in 2019 became international we went to Fiji. Rosemary started the African Village Market which is a program to help migrants and refugees start their own businesses which ran for four years.
Rosemary has been acknowledged with many awards some of them the 2021 Australia Local Hero and 2022 Order of Australia Medal (OAM), Parramatta Citizen of the Year, Woman of the year from Western Sydney Uni, African Walk of Fame among many others.
Rosemary has featured in two documentaries, the Baulkham Hills African Ladies Troupe and “Rosemary’s Ways Film.
Rosemary has written a book by the name of A Joyful Life, a memoir about her.
Rosemary has just registered her own foundation Mama Rosemary Foundation (MRF) to continue with linking Multicultural Women to services and walking with them.
Something else you don’t know is that Rosemary uses her faith to manage to stay sane in all that she does. Her faith in God is the big force in her work.
Rosemary says she is very proud to be an Australian.