Keynote Speaker; Trainer; Activist; Advocate; Model; Mentor; Writer
Khadija Gbla is multi hyphenate high profile, passionate and inspiring African Australian woman. She is a single mum, carer, black, non-binary, queer, neurodivergent and disable award-winning human rights activist, model, inspirational speaker, writer and mentor. She has displayed great courage and determination in achieving her aspirations of giving women, youth and minority groups a voice at a local, state and international level. Khadija utilises her powerful and inspired voice to advocate for structural change and everyday simple everyday actions we can all take to achieve true equality and inclusion for all people.
Khadija Gbla was born in Sierra Leone, spent her youth in Gambia, and as a teenager put down roots in Australia. Khadija was just 3-years-old when the war broke out in her country, Sierra Leone and10 years later they attained refugee status and resettled in Adelaide. Khadija provides advocacy, training, coaching, mentoring speaking on domestic and family violence, sexual health, racism, FGM, human rights, gender equality, intersectionality, inclusion and diversity, bias, mental health, disability, ndis, migrants and refugees and cultural diversity and so much more through her cultural consultancy, khadija Gbla Cultural Consultancy.
Khadija is the lead voice and campaigner on Female Genital Mutilation in Australia. She runs a not for profit organisation Ending Female Genital Mutilation Australia which works to protect Australian girls from FGM and to support survivors of FGM. Khadija provides training for professionals, advocacy and community education for practising communities in Australia.
Khadija is also a TEDx speaker with close to 3 Million views on her talk, “My mother’s strange definition of empowerment”.
She has represented Australia in the international arena at the Harvard National Model United Nations, Commonwealth Youth Forum and Australian and Africa Dialogue, Commonwealth heads of States Women’s Forum etc.
Khadija has been recognized through numerous awards for her vision and leadership, including 2019 Instyle Magazine The Advocate for Acceptance Human Rights Award, 2017 cosmopolitan magazine women of the year finalist, 2016 women’s Weekly and Qantas Women of the Future finalist, 2016 AusMumpreneur Rising Star and Making a difference –non-profit Award, 2014 The Advertiser South Australia’s 50 most Influential Women, 2013 Madison Magazine Australia’s top 100 inspiring Women, 2013 Amnesty International Human Rights Activists to watch out in 2013, 2011 State Finalist Young Australian of the Year – just to name a few.