Building Trust Through Culture, Language and Community

Welcome. I'm Marzia Wardak, founder of Language and Legacy. Growing up in Afghanistan, language, culture and community were at the heart of everyday life. After making Australia my home more than two decades ago, I saw both the opportunities and the challenges that many Afghan families experience as they build new lives while trying to preserve their identity, language and traditions.

Throughout my career, I have had the privilege of working alongside Afghan families, children and multicultural communities in parenting education, supported playgroups, settlement services, community development and cultural education. I have also worked as a Dari interpreter, translator and educator, helping bridge communication between communities and the organisations that support them.

A significant milestone in my career has been contributing to the culturally responsive implementation of the Tuning in to Kids® parenting program for Afghan women. By working alongside Afghan mothers, community partners and service providers, I helped shape the way the program was delivered so it reflected Afghan cultural values, language needs and lived experiences, while preserving the integrity of the original evidence-based program. This work was selected for presentation at the Family Relationship Services Australia (FRSA) Conference in Brisbane in May 2026.

Over the years, one message became clear: meaningful engagement happens when services understand culture, listen to communities and build genuine relationships based on respect and trust. At the same time, I noticed that many Afghan children were growing up with very few books and educational resources that reflected their language, culture and lived experiences.

These experiences inspired me to establish Language and Legacy.

Language and Legacy brings together my professional experience, cultural knowledge and passion for community to help organisations work more effectively with Afghan families while creating culturally meaningful resources that celebrate language, identity and belonging.

I believe every family deserves to feel understood, every organisation deserves access to authentic cultural knowledge, and every child deserves to see their language, culture and identity reflected in the stories they read.