Sumaya Harare

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  • Resilience Speaker in Melbourne, VIC

  • Travels Statewide
  • From $660 to $1,650

  • Available on Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri

Coming to Australia at the age of 7 with my family as refugees, My family and I were settled in a predominantly white and affluent suburb in Melbourne, Victoria. I started at a nearby primary school, the only English I knew being a few words from Sesame street, where I was bullied and ostracized for being different. In that time, I retreated to my world of art and drawing, creating stories which were far better than my reality. As the middle child of 5, I was often left to my own devices especially with a new baby arriving only months after we moved to Australia. I found myself more worried about how my parents felt and kept my struggles to myself.

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“Sumaya had over 170 kids sitting quietly and taking a genuine interest in her story. She was born to tell stories and educate people. All of the kids returned to class chatting about how inspiring she was.”
- St. Louis de Montfort’s school

“Thank you to Sumaya for speaking at the St. Bede’s College International Women’s Day event. Sumaya shared her story of resilience, inclusion, and diversity with more than 200 students, teachers, parents, and local community members. Her engaging talk offered moments of humour, and her gentle pauses allowed the guests to digest the serious aspects of her story.”
- St. Bede's College

“Sumaya certainly created a wave of happy feelings here. I have already had several requests from the kids to get her back again. They just loved hearing her story!”
- Carlton Primary school


- Mic (handheld or lapel)
- Projector and comp (for presetentation)



From struggle to success: (Keynote)

Meet Sumaya Harare, a captivating speaker, children’s author, and illustrator whose mesmerizing storytelling weaves together her personal journey and artistic flair to deeply resonate with audiences. Her narrative is both riveting and poignant, as she delves into her tumultuous childhood, journey from war torn Somalia with her family, grappled with bullying and isolation at the tender age of 7, simply for being different in a predominantly white school. The scars left by this ordeal fostering social anxiety and eroding her confidence and self-worth in later years. Yet, from this adversity emerged a voice of empowerment and resilience, inspiring countless souls to embrace their uniqueness and reclaim their inner strength.

Package Includes:
- Inspirational keynote with illustrative slides, keeping students captivated.
- Q&A session for interactive engagement
- Pre-event consultation via phone call (a week prior)
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“I don't understand”: (Storytelling session: Prep-Gr.3)
Sumaya emerges from a storied lineage, where Somali culture thrived solely through oral tradition. In this vibrant tapestry, storytelling is not just a pastime—it's the very essence that keeps her language and heritage alive and what connected her to her ancestors. Today, she channels her life's tales into captivating children's books, a testament to her unwavering passion for storytelling and artistic expression. Fuelled by a childhood spent tirelessly filling every blank page she could find with intricate illustrations, her journey from dreamer to storyteller is nothing short of extraordinary."

Package Includes:
- Storytime: Sumaya reading “I don’t understand” which journeys through her experience with language barrier whilst in school to the class.
- Q&A session for interactive engagement
- Pre-event consultation via phone call (a week prior)


Working with children (WWC)