There was a sharing of beautiful music, good food and wine, and moving stories at the recent Sanctuary Helfgott Concert for Refugees, held at the Helfgott’s private home.
Jean and his sister Janine, ex-Congolese refugees, whose family were sponsored by Sanctuary Australia Foundation (and settled by Sanctuary in Bellingen) were guest speakers at the 2012 Sanctuary Helfgott Recital .

Janine and Jean, with Lani at the Helfgott event.
They both spoke about their experiences as refugees. It was a very moving account of fleeing the Congo and their lives in the infamous Dadaab Refugee Camp, on the border of Kenya and Somalia. They also talked about how much their lives have changed since their arrival in Australia, and all of their hopes and dreams for the future. They had the whole room in tears……
We would like to thank all of those who helped with this wonderful event, especially Sanctuary Board member Lani Carmody, the wonderful team of food preparers, and David and Gillian Helfgott, for the wonderful music and hospitality !