About Rahma Health

Rahma Health

Rahma supports Arabic speaking families to enjoy the magic of the first 5 years of a child’s life. Through world-class healthcare information, a community-led approach and the power of technology, we help our communities lead fulfilled, happy, healthy lives.

About us

Rahma is a charity that supports Arabic speaking families to enjoy the magic of the first 5 years of a child’s life. Through world-class healthcare information, a community-led approach and the power of technology, we help our communities lead fulfilled, happy, healthy lives.

Our vision is to Heal our world by filling family life with love, joy, respect and health.

Our information is written and reviewed by Health Professionals from the Arabic-speaking refugee and migrant community in Melbourne. Our large, multidisciplinary team consists of Obstetricians, General Practitioners, Speech Pathologists, Dentists, Midwives, and nurses. Our team strives to ensure that the best information is available to families to facilitate culturally-safe and person-centered support.

Rahma Health Ltd is a registered charity with the Australian Charities and Non-Profits Commission and is registered with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. We are also an Australian Taxation Office endorsed Deductible Gift Recipient (Public Benevolent Institution).

Board of Directors

Dr Azhar Al-Sadii
Director

Dr Azhar Al-Sadii is a General Practitioner who specialises in Women’s Health. Azhar has been a founding Clinical Director of Rahma Health, contributing to resource development from the beginning of Rahma Health’s Journey. Azhar is very passionate about community work, and has worked for many years with the refugee community in Melbourne’s Northern Suburbs. She is a mother of 2 boys and is an Arabic speaker.

Hani El-Rafei
Director, Treasurer

Hani is incredibly passionate about Accounting and social impact. Having graduated from the University of Melbourne with a degree in Commerce, Accounting and Finance, Hani is now a Certified Practising Accountant who specialises in helping charities and start-ups. Hani is very passionate about technology and strategy. Hani is a Board Director and the Treasurer of Rahma Health.

Ishani Chattopadhyay
Board Chair, Director

Ishani is a strategic advisor and Consultant, with a 23+ year career, spanning across Australia, UK, India and South East Asia. She has advised over 150 start-ups and SMEs on strategy, enterprise development, investment management and innovation.

Dr Mariam Hassan
Director

Mariam is a General Practitioner working with disadvantaged populations, including migrants and refugees. She is a former Board Director of Happy Brain Education and former Director of Refugee Mentoring at Happy Brain Education. Mariam is a native Arabic-speaker and the mother of two young children.

Dr Naba Alfayadh
CEO, Director

Naba is the Founder of Rahma Health and is a medical doctor, currently working in Emergency Medicine. She is the former CEO & Co-founder of Happy Brain Education, a charity supporting young people. She studied Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Stanford University. Naba is a native Arabic speaker, former refugee and mother of a young toddler.

Laura McGrath
Director

Laura is an experienced Strategy Consultant with experience in healthcare, start-ups and technological innovation. She is an Associate Partner at Bain & Company in the Dubai Office, having worked on projects across the Middle East and Australia in Healthcare, Diversity & Inclusion and Social Impact. Laura is a mother to 2 children, Tatenda and Tapiwa, and is very passionate about equity. Laura enjoys travelling, learning languages and keeping fit.

Edwina Buckle
Director

Edwina has a background in medical science, clinical innovation, and research translation. She currently leads Partnerships and Impact Initiatives at the Raising Children Network, Australia’s leading online parenting resource. Her passion for parenting supports is driven by her own early childhood experiences with social services and placement in kinship care. She is a mother to two young children.

Shifra

Shifra, founded by Rebeccah Bartlett, was an organisation that was working towards ensuring that healthcare is high quality, respectful and available in a language that anyone can understand. They were founded in 2015 and worked tirelessly on this mission for 8 years. In 2022, the Shifra Founder and Board decided to merge Shifra with Rahma Health to gift the incredible content they created to the community it was made for.

The Shifra team created an award winning web application which was recognised at Techfugees Global Challenge, by YGAP and the World Health Organisation. Shifra was supported by a cohort of incredible organisations, including Your Creative, Sylaba, MinterEllison, Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation and Swinburne University of Technology.