Connections: Amona and Sihem

From humble beginnings in hospitality to present day camaraderie in Spectrum’s Social and Economic Inclusion program, Amona Hassab and Sihem Sayoud have forged a bond that is imbued with respect, mutual trust and friendship.

AMONA: I met Sihem around 2011 when I was working in hospitality at the Moroccan Soup Bar. I was front of house and Sihem was in the back kitchen.

I had started at the soup bar as a 17-year-old. I had a fine and I didn’t want to ask mum to help me, so I needed a job. At the time I was studying at Northcote High, and I was telling a friend of mine about it and she said she worked at the Moroccan Soup Bar in North Fitzroy and that the manager was always looking to support women from culturally and racially marginalised backgrounds to come work there.

So, I called her up and she said to come in for a quick chat. The questions that she asked me had no relation to my qualifications or experience in hospitality. It was about “what are you studying, where do you see yourself in a few years, and what are your goals and ambitions”. Nothing to do with whether I could hold three plates or pour tea. It was about how she can uplift me as a person. And how working there can be a pathway for something else, which I thought was empowering.

The manager who owned the restaurant, Hana Assafiri, is one of my mentors and has had a profound influence on me. Working there for several years and having Hana as a role model significantly shaped my worldview. Her approach emphasises giving people opportunities and striving to level the playing field. It’s about recognising disadvantages, being equitable, and providing fair opportunities to those who need a boost. The opportunity I received was invaluable and paying it forward has always been important to me.

My first impression of Sihem was that she remained calm amid a very chaotic environment. The Moroccan Soup Bar was a small, always-busy restaurant that seated about 80 people and handled numerous takeaway orders. We operated without table numbers, though Hana had named all of them, and we had to recite a verbal menu to our guests. The space was eccentric and vibrant, with its earthy interior and decor, felt like walking into a souq in Morocco. I had the privilege of meeting some amazing women between those walls, and Sihem is definitely one of them.

Sihem and I reconnected in the Dallas Hume City Hub in 2015. I saw Sihem in the lift. I had forgotten her name, but I recognised her. She was working at Arabic Welfare, and I was at Spectrum. We would normally only see each other in the lift or walking to the carpark.

But then she ended up working here at Spectrum in the same team. I was a Senior Group Facilitator and Sihem was a Group Facilitator, delivering parenting programs and other settlement programs in the north.

Siham has a lot of wonderful qualities; she is quite quirky and she’s got a sense of humour. We also share the same language so humour in another culture is very different to Australian humour. While we’re colleagues and we try to uphold a professional relationship, we’re actually really good friends as well.

Sihem is a warm person, she’s authentic and she connects really well with people.

I’ve attended several of her group facilitation sessions with parents, and the quality of her program delivery is outstanding. This is evident in the way participants respond to and engage with her, as well as the positive feedback they provide. And the gifts! she receives numerous gifts from her participants, which is a testament to the impact she has on them.

She’s got this wonderful way. Her style of facilitation is unique but also her ability to speak community languages and understand that journey – because she’s lived it – is empowering for them as well.

One thing I won’t forget is when I attended an end of program excursion at a restaurant and the families were all there. One of the fathers – a partner of one of the female participants – had gone to thank Sihem, saying “the way that my wife now deals with my children is so much better; thank you for helping her do that”.

I thought: WOW, she really does change people’s lives!

SIHEM: I met Amona in 2011. I was new to Australia, and I met her in the restaurant, the Moroccan Soup Bar. I worked there for three months part-time, and I used to see Amona at least three days a week.

At that time, I was going through a lot of things including isolation, lack of connection. I was doing my English classes at RMIT and when I started at the job there were a lot of people from the CALD community, but I had zero connection with them. For some reason, I don’t know why, the only person I used to talk to was Amona. The only people who used to check on me was Amona and the manager. I used to work behind in the kitchen – Amona used to work at the front – but the fact that Amona was there made me feel good because Amona was nice, very kind and inclusive.

The fact that she was there at that time meant a lot to me.

I left the job after three months because I moved to Reservoir, and I don’t drive so I had to quit. And then I started a job here in the same building in 2015. I saw Amona twice in the lift, so I knew that she was here, and she was working with Spectrum, but I knew nothing about her, what she’s doing, what is her role.

I worked at Arabic Welfare for six years as a case manager and then in 2021, during lockdown, I felt like I had to move, so I applied for a job here at Spectrum. I got the job and I found out that Amona was in my team.

I got two jobs at the same time. I chose to be with Spectrum, but I was questioning myself: is it the right decision to change the role, to change everything?

Amona contacted me when I got the job with Spectrum, reaching out on my personal mobile. To my surprise, she still had my contact details from 2011, even after 10 years. I, of course, no longer had her personal mobile number. That’s why her contact was special to me.

The moment she contacted me, I never thought about it anymore; being with Amona in the same team made me feel good, better about my decision. It was something wonderful for me.

Amona is very humble; highly educated. She has a nice personality, and she has leadership skills. In a way, she can engage with anyone.

I am older than her, but I feel like she is my mentor. It’s not about the age, it’s about the skills. And she’s a good listener, she’s not judgemental. I don’t hesitate to call her and ask her about anything, even sometimes personal issues – I can discuss them with her. I don’t do this with anyone else. I trust her opinion.

And honestly, she does the same with me as well. Although she’s my team leader, I don’t think she feels like “oh, ok, I’m the team leader I shouldn’t speak to her this way.” Thank God we developed that connection.

And of course, we respect each other a lot. I think the most important thing to make your relationship stronger is to share values. If you don’t have the same values, you cannot keep going with those people. That’s why I think Amona and I connected, because 100% we have the same values.

The fact that we work supporting the community for a long time and we keep doing that and we don’t see ourselves doing something else, that makes our connection stronger. I’m really open to learning from her.

I like her sense of humour. We are always laughing, and I think we have a similar sense of humour, and we can understand each other. When we say a joke, it’s a joke for both of us. Maybe for others it’s silly, but not for us.

I like the way she cares about people. The way she cares about the team – kind of mother caring – but at the same time she can maintain the professionalism. I like the way she cares about her family. She is a very caring person: to her mother, to her children, to her community.

I also really respect that she grew up here; she’s been here since she was three years old, but the way she is highly connected to her community is amazing. She highly respects her values, being African, being a Muslim woman. I really respect this.

I think Amona has a bright future, I’m really proud of her. Honestly, I’m happy to work with Amona forever.

Find out more about our Parenting in a New Culture program.