In the heart of West Heidelberg, a suburb known shaped by migration and diverse community connections, Himilo Community Connect, established in 2016, is a beacon of empowerment for the Somali Australians, who make up 8.4 per cent of the suburb.
Half of the state’s Somali-born population migrated to Australia between 1991-2010. The majority arrived as refugees following the outbreak of civil war in Somalia in 1991, while many others arrived as refugees from other surrounding countries, including Kenya, Ethiopia and Egypt. According to Government data, the most recvent recent Somali immigrants moved here to reunite with family or to pursue educational and economic opportunities.
Operating under the umbrella of Banyule Community Health, Himilo offers a range of services, including education, employment, wellbeing and social inclusion support for the community. What makes Himilo different is that the people who design and run the initiative are part of the community they’re supporting. Central to Himilo’s mission is education, with tailored programs designed to create academic opportunities and boost confidence amongst Somali-Australian children.
Dina Fernando, Himilo’s school program coordinator and head of the Homework Club, says the program started very small, with 25-30 students in 2017.
“But as time goes, our number expanded to hundred over at one time,” she says.
According to Engagement Australia, a national body advocating for equity and community engagement in the tertiary education sector, Himilo’s Homework Club recorded more than 2,500 student attendances between January 2018 and June 2019. The program provides tailored academic support to Somali Australian primary and secondary school students, building their confidence and connection to learning in a culturally responsive setting. Finding enough volunteers to run the program can be tough.
“There are times where we only have three volunteers to 60 students, which is a lot of work and exhausting,” Fernando says. “But then it’s worthwhile to see when at the end of the program, when the student says, ‘yes, no, I understand, I can do my homework on my own’.”
A digital story by Engaging Families, a storytelling project aimed at boosting family involvement in early childhood services by highlighting migrant and refugee voices, shares personal stories from Somali educators and parents. The story illustrates how language barriers, money struggles, and unfamiliar systems have made starting early childhood education hard. It tells how, for many families, the presence of Somali staff in a local not-for-profit preschool has provided a rare sense of belonging and trust. It’s a model of how welcoming environments can help break down institutional barriers.
Both Engaging Families and Himilo are doing their part in making sure more support comes to early childhood learning for Somali families, while also making sure those environments are welcoming and informative for the families.
“One of our programs is early childhood, where we have play group on two days a week,” Fernando says. “Parents are present when the children are attending the program so that we can give them [a] message about health, about diet, as well as things they need in order to enrol kids to the school.”
Another area is employment, where statistics are concerning, according to a study investigating employment and education outcomes for Somali Australians reports. While many Somali Australian youths are actively engaged in education, that engagement doesn’t always translate into stable job opportunities. Amal Hussein, who is Himilo’s family and early childhood coordinator says that for many, disengagement has been an issue. So too is students “not getting the proper support from schools” and later, “not getting proper jobs after finishing a degree”.
The Centre for Innovative Justice, a policy-focused institute based at RMIT University that aims to make legal and social systems more accessible and fair, reports that young people from Somali backgrounds in the Banyule area face systemic barriers to employment, including racial bias and limited access to industry networks. Further research by the Australian Centre for Social Innovation indicates that Somali Australians often lack the community ties that help with employment opportunities. It also found that this lack of connections can be exacerbated by a belief that academic grades are more important than extra-curricular activities and work-integrated learning, leading to missed opportunities for internships and mentorships that are crucial for career advancement.
In response, Himilo has developed job readiness programs, organised career expos, and built partnerships with schools and employers to create clear pathways into work. Hussein says this includes providing information on volunteering, how to undertake interviews, and how to present themselves, which has been “very beneficial”.
The importance of wraparound support cannot be overstated. Himilo also runs community programs for women, parents and families initiatives as part of their wider mission to address local wellbeing needs. Jamad Mohamud, Alan Ismail and Najma Ali are parents who have been with Himilo for several years.
“It’s been really great – we’ve got the homework club, we’ve got the play group, the girls group so there’s always activities happening,” Mohamud says.
“It’s a one-shop but for everything. If you go there, someone’s there to help you”.
Activities like the Play Group and Women’s Health and Wellbeing sessions are designed to reduce social isolation, increase access to health information, and support parenting within a culturally respectful environment.
“We provide a lot of support in health navigation. Like, helping families understand how to access GPs, maternal health nurses, the NDIS, and also how to communicate their needs when there’s a language or cultural barrier,” Hussein says.
“Often, people don’t even know what services exist, so part of our job is just giving them that information and guiding them through the steps.”
Trust is central to the centre’s success, especially in communities that have historically been overlooked or misrepresented by mainstream services. Himilo’s community-first approach is driven by lived experience. Many staff members come from Somali Australian backgrounds, and this representation ensures programs are designed with cultural insight and local understanding. As Melbourne’s northern suburbs continue to become more culturally diverse, Himilo Community Connect remains a powerful example of what’s possible when communities are trusted to lead their own solutions. It’s not just a support service—it’s a catalyst for inclusion, dignity and long-term social change.
“Sometimes it’s enabled parents to find out about themselves [and] who they are. The parents are like ‘oh, I’m able to do this’,” Fernando says. “So, the realisation from the parents to acknowledge themselves of their values, it’s quite as inspiring for us.”
Article: Ethan Withers is a second-year Diploma of Arts student at La Trobe University. You can follow them on Twitter at @EthanWithers.
Photo: Himilo Communtiy Connect by Ethan Withers
