13 Khadija Gbla

30, SA. CO-FOUNDER, NO FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION AUSTRALIA. At 13, Khadija left war-torn Sierra Leone with her family as refugees, to live in South Australia. Like many young African women, Khadija is a survivor of female genital mutilation (FGM), inflicted upon her when she was just nine years old. “Many survivors don’t live to tell their story, or feel they cannot share it for cultural reasons,” Khadija says. In 2014, Khadija co-founded No FGM Australia and the organisation now has representatives in every state. The scholarship would help No FGM Australia support and educate the communities most affected by FGM.