Nik Nasha Damia
Distinguished Alumni Award recipient 2023
A passionate humanitarian, Nik Nasha Damia is the Executive Director of Rohingya Women Development Network (RWDN) in Malaysia, a female-led organisation working to improve the lives of Rohingya refugees. In recognition of her outstanding contribution to supporting and empowering refugees, she was awarded a 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Adelaide.
“Sixty per cent of the registered refugee population in Malaysia are Rohingyas, and they’re not getting access to education, limited access to healthcare, no acceptance in schools, no formal education,” says Nasha. She works tirelessly to support this community of several hundred thousand women, providing skills training and literacy that help them gain independence and rebuild their lives.
When studying law in Adelaide, Nasha didn’t imagine that this was where she would end up. “It was never a straight path to get to where I am now,” she says.
After completing her Bachelor of Laws in 2011, she moved to Melbourne to begin her legal career, but never quite settled into the profession. “I’ve always wanted to help people. I worked as a criminal lawyer in Melbourne, and that was satisfying, but it still did not give me the fulfillment that I have now, doing the work that I do.” Nasha returned to Malaysia, where she began volunteering. “I was attracted to doing humanitarian work,” she says. “I believe in the importance of telling someone that you are going to be there for them, and actually showing up.”
Nik Nasha Damia
Bachelor of Laws 2011
“Being awarded [a Distinguished Alumni Award] is a reminder of how far I’ve come…how much I’ve been doing, and what I can do here.”
In 2014, Nasha founded NASHPOTATOES, which empowers people through teaching and sharing DIY crafts and art. She works with other grassroots organisations and not-for-profits to bring the power of art to disadvantaged children, teach them new practical skills and bring them joy though art and community. She continues to show up for disadvantaged and disempowered communities in Malaysia, and the Rohingya refugee women and girls who seek education and opportunities with RWDN. Nasha is grateful for larger international non-government organisations, as well as other local initiatives, whose combined efforts truly make a difference in the lives of the refugees she works with.