A UNCHR team asses the needs of forcibly displaced people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, 8 October 2020. Photo: UNCHR By Maddy Harford
HAVING previously welcomed members of the South Sudanese and Karen (Burmese) communities, Bass Coast is preparing to welcome four refugee families from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.
The families came to Australia on humanitarian visas and settled in Werribee, where they have gained qualifications and improved their English language skills over the past three years. Adult members of these families have qualifications and/or experience in aged care, disability, childcare and hospitality – all sectors of the Bass Coast economy needing workers.
HAVING previously welcomed members of the South Sudanese and Karen (Burmese) communities, Bass Coast is preparing to welcome four refugee families from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.
The families came to Australia on humanitarian visas and settled in Werribee, where they have gained qualifications and improved their English language skills over the past three years. Adult members of these families have qualifications and/or experience in aged care, disability, childcare and hospitality – all sectors of the Bass Coast economy needing workers.
Now they are seeking to relocate to Bass Coast so they can also explore possibilities in agriculture and horticulture, skills they practised in their home countries.
The Bass Coast Refugee Sponsorship Group (BCRSG), an offshoot of the South Gippsland Rural Australians for Refugees, has committed to mentoring the families as they establish themselves in our community.
BCRSG spokesperson Felicia Di Stefano said the group had already secured generous commitments from Bass Coast residents, including the offer of a four-hectare plot of land, along with advice and training in local agriculture and horticulture conditions.
Now the search is on to find four rental homes in Wonthaggi to accommodate them.
“We are seeking assistance to find homes for these families, who have travelled a long and punishing road, before the Australian Government recognised their need and invited them to live in Australia.”
With Melbourne in lockdown, BCRSG members have been getting to know the families via Zoom.
Felicia said the more they got to know them, the more impressed they were with their extraordinary and their optimism about their future in Australia.
“Although they’re grateful for the assistance they’ve received in the city, they’re really looking forward to getting back to a country town where they can grow vegetables and other crops as they did at home.
“Their resilience in the face of great hardship, violence, dislocation from their homes and long years in refugee camps is inspiring. We have no doubt they will make a valuable contribution to the Wonthaggi community in particular and Bass Coast in general.”
The Bass Coast Refugee Sponsorship Group is affiliated with a broader coalition that includes Amnesty International Australia; Save the Children Australia; the Refugee Council of Australia; Rural Australians for Refugees and Welcoming Australia.
If you can help in any way please contact Felicia on 0478 225 047 or [email protected]
The Bass Coast Refugee Sponsorship Group (BCRSG), an offshoot of the South Gippsland Rural Australians for Refugees, has committed to mentoring the families as they establish themselves in our community.
BCRSG spokesperson Felicia Di Stefano said the group had already secured generous commitments from Bass Coast residents, including the offer of a four-hectare plot of land, along with advice and training in local agriculture and horticulture conditions.
Now the search is on to find four rental homes in Wonthaggi to accommodate them.
“We are seeking assistance to find homes for these families, who have travelled a long and punishing road, before the Australian Government recognised their need and invited them to live in Australia.”
With Melbourne in lockdown, BCRSG members have been getting to know the families via Zoom.
Felicia said the more they got to know them, the more impressed they were with their extraordinary and their optimism about their future in Australia.
“Although they’re grateful for the assistance they’ve received in the city, they’re really looking forward to getting back to a country town where they can grow vegetables and other crops as they did at home.
“Their resilience in the face of great hardship, violence, dislocation from their homes and long years in refugee camps is inspiring. We have no doubt they will make a valuable contribution to the Wonthaggi community in particular and Bass Coast in general.”
The Bass Coast Refugee Sponsorship Group is affiliated with a broader coalition that includes Amnesty International Australia; Save the Children Australia; the Refugee Council of Australia; Rural Australians for Refugees and Welcoming Australia.
If you can help in any way please contact Felicia on 0478 225 047 or [email protected]