When the civil war broke out in 1991, her father and eldest brother were killed by militants. Abukar's mother subsequently took the family to a UN asylum center in Kenya. The teenager therein volunteered as an office interpreter, teaching children and raising awareness on reproductive health. In 1997, Abukar moved alone to Australia through a women-at-risk program run by the Australian High Commission. Soroptimist International group workers helped her settle into her new surroundings in Moorooka, Brisbane, with her family later joining her.
