Rohingya Social

Rohingya Social: A Long Table will be a special night of food and storytelling.

You are invited to the table to share in a celebration of Rohingya cuisine, culture and survival.

Please join us for a curated, three-course menu featuring authentic Rohingya dishes, shared by the Rohingya community and made by Plate It Forward chefs.

Featuring short performances, talks and artistry, the night will be a unique opportunity to connect with Sydney’s Rohingya community and share a meal, while enjoying their rich culture.

Often described as one of the most persecuted minority groups in the world, the Rohingya have a remarkable story of survival. As we mark seven years since the August 2017 violent campaign that saw more than 700,000 Rohingya people forced off their homelands in Myanmar and into Bangladesh, reflections will be shared by Rohingya advocates and Médecins Sans Frontières speakers on efforts to ensure their health and future as a people.

This will be an important night to stand with the Rohingya, share a meal, and listen to ways we can move forward together.

Thank you to our community contributors and speakers:

Noor Azizah, Co-founder and Director, Rohingya Maìyafuìnor Collaborative Network

Noor Azizah stands as a beacon of strength in her community, identifying as a Rohingya woman and a survivor of genocide. A trailblazing advocate, she has made remarkable strides in amplifying the voices of women who share similar journeys to her own. Noor Azizah and her family resettled in Sydney when she was eight years old, having survived a perilous journey fleeing Myanmar's Arakan (Rakhine State).

The plight of Rohingya women remains a constant motivation for Noor Azizah’s work, including as co-founder and director of the Rohingya Maiyafuinor Collaborative Network, a woman-, Rohingya- and refugee-led organisation working on Rohingya human rights issues, sexual and gender-based violence, education and translocal solidarity with a focus on women, peace and security. Noor Azizah’s expertise and dedication have been recognised in her roles as refugee delegate at the United Nations in Geneva; refugee expert at the 2023 Global Refugee forum; NSW Young Woman of the Year 2024; and as a member of the Indigenous Council and Global Security Council on Existential Threats; among others.

Noor Uddin

Noor Uddin, a Rohingya refugee, has transformed his life from one of hardship and deprivation to exemplifying hope and health for his community. Born in Myanmar, Noor fled the violence and persecution faced by the Rohingya people and spent 10 challenging years as a refugee in Malaysia. During this time, he endured the harsh realities of refugee life, with limited access to education and opportunities.

In 2003, Noor's life took a significant turn when he resettled in Australia. Witnessing the persistent health issues affecting the Rohingya community due to years of persecution and lack of resources, he identified a crucial gap in healthcare and wellbeing. Driven by a desire to make a difference, Noor pursued a career as a personal trainer and completed a Bachelor of Business. Through his dedication and expertise, he has helped many individuals overcome health challenges, empowering them to lead healthier and more fulfilling lives. Noor seeks to merge his love for traditional Rohingya food with healthcare initiatives, promoting holistic wellbeing within the community.

Shaun Christie-David, founder of Plate It Forward

Plate It Forward Hospitality Group is a restaurant group providing opportunities to people who are underrepresented in the workforce. To date, Shaun has employed over 200 people from marginalised communities across his hospitality group and kitchens including Colombo Social, Kabul Social and Kyiv Social, as well as donating over 560,000 meals to people battling food insecurity as part of his global food diplomacy movement.

Shaun was a driving force in the launch of the Aboriginal Health Television Network in partnership with the Australian Federal Government in 2019 – a channel dedicated to improving the health literacy of First Nations people. Shaun has been awarded accolades including the inaugural Good Food Innovator of the Year, Not for Profit Emerging Leader, Time Out's Hospitality Future Shaper, an AMP Tomorrow Maker – and in 2021, Plate it Forward was the recipient of the Community Human Rights Champion by the Australian Human Rights Commission.

Ahana Dutt, chef with Plate It Forward

Born and raised in Kolkata, India, the love of cooking came inherently to Ahana through her mother. She studied hotel management in Bombay and then moved to Sydney to further hone her skills at Le Cordon Bleu. She worked at Aria catering and with the Keystone Group, before joining the prestigious restaurant Firedoor as a student. Over six-and-a-half years, she earned her stripes and left as the senior sous chef.

Most recently, Ahana was the head chef of hatted contemporary Indian restaurant Raja, before it closed its doors in June. Her cooking ethos has always been to champion local producers, highlight seasonal produce, and showcase them through traditional cooking techniques and authentic recipes.

Jennifer Tierney, Executive Director, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) Australia

Jennifer is dedicated to ensuring people affected by conflicts, disasters and outbreaks have access to medical care, regardless of their nationality or politics; and to ensuring MSF uses its medical expertise and voice to speak out and bring abuses and intolerable situations to public attention. MSF has been working with Rohingya communities for over three decades, across Myanmar, Bangladesh and Malaysia. Through the course of its medical humanitarian work, the organisation has borne witness to the impact of persecution, discrimination, violence and containment policies on the health and wellbeing of Rohingya people.

In 2023, Jennifer visited MSF’s projects in the Cox’s Bazar Rohingya refugee camps, where she met with MSF staff, patients and community members to understand the medical humanitarian situation. MSF Australia is working with advocates and key decision makers to call for the Australian government to lead on solutions to the Rohingya crisis, our region’s greatest humanitarian challenge.

Kaylene Tomkins, hospital director, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF)

Kaylene has recently returned to Australia after 12 months as hospital director at MSF’s Kutupalong hospital in Bangladesh, a large, 113-bed hospital located just outside the Cox’s Bazar camps that serves both Rohingya and host communities. The hospital is seeing an increase in malnourished children admitted, as well as frequent infectious disease outbreaks. It also provides mental healthcare and sexual reproductive healthcare, including treatment for sexual violence.

In four days leading up to 7 August, the team at Kutupalong hospital treated 39 Rohingya people for violence-related injuries including mortar shell injuries and gunshot wounds. These patients reported having fled across the Naf river from Rakhine state, Myanmar, following attacks. They described to MSF seeing people bombed while trying to cross the river, and of family members being killed.

Kaylene was first introduced to the Rohingya community via her studies in emergency and disaster management. She previously worked with as hospital director at MSF’s Taiz Houban hospital in southwestern Yemen, from 2022-23.