A Syrian family have finally arrived safely in Sydney from Lebanon, happy to be reunited with their family.They were provided with an interest-free airfare loan by Sanctuary Australia Foundation. The outbreak of war in Syria and attacks by Takfiri militants made their life a nightmare, with continualrocket and missile attacks on their hometown, injuring and killing many relatives, neighbours and … Read More
Disabled asylum seekers at risk with no access to NDIS
Sanctuary is working to seek justice for a young Iraqi woman, Salma*, who arrived in Australia by boat as a refugee with her disabled sister, Maha*. Her story is truly shocking. They were imprisoned on Christmas Island having committed no crime but to seek safety and asylum, then transferred to Darwin for a short time before being moved to Villawood … Read More
Thank you to all our donors and friends for helping Angelo to continue his studies!
Angelo Pel Mayol is a young refugee from S. Sudan. His life has been a big struggle, with many difficulties for him, and his mother and siblings. When they became separated by the horror of war, Angelo and his two young cousins fled to Kakuma Refugee camp in 2014. It was a very harsh and difficult life there, but after a while he had the … Read More
Former refugees finding work and starting businesses
Finding work is very challenging if you come from a refugee background, having had to escape from your country due to violence and war, and often leaving family members behind. Moe* (pictured) fled Myanmar, and settled in Coffs Harbour. Moe* came to Sanctuary for assistance when she needed a laptop. She received a donated refurbished laptop which was a great help to her with finding work online … Read More
The pain of family separation for refugees
Isolation is not a novel experience for a refugee. Neither, usually, is family separation. All of my clients have fled conflict and persecution. Many wait anxiously every day for news of their loved one’s visa application. The anxiety is understandable; the partners, siblings and parents of resettled refugees are often in highly precarious situations abroad, and face poverty and discrimination. … Read More
Aquatic Tutoring Australia – saving lives and connecting refugees to community
Aquatic tutoring Australia (ATA) has a mission to stop the tragic loss of life of refugees and other disadvantaged groups, who can’t swim and are at risk of drowning. As we are all aware, there have been several tragic drownings in our ocean in the last few years, involving members of the refugee community. Sanctuary Australia Foundation Inc. works with … Read More
Thank you for supporting former refugees during 2020.
Thank you so much for supporting Sanctuary through the challenging year that was 2020, and enabling us to continue to assist refugees both here and overseas. We are grateful for having assistance from both the Federal Government, organisations and individuals. Sanctuary’s Computer Aid Program has donated over $40,000 worth of recycled laptops in the last financial year, helping refugee students … Read More
Laptop donations making a difference
This little girl (above) and her family from Iraq suffered at the hands of ISIS and her father was murdered. Now, safe in Australia, she and her four siblings are going to school. This donated laptop computer is helping her to complete her studies and her mother to connect with local service providers. The very popular Sanctuary Computer Aid Program … Read More
Mentoring into Work
Sanctuary’s Mentor into Work Program has been successful in finding jobs for former refugees in Coffs Harbour. Once refugees have work, they feel more confident and connected with their new community. One example is Hussein from Sinjar, Iraq which came under attack from ISIS in 2014. Close family members were murdered and others kidnapped for ransom. It has been a … Read More
Ethiopian family reunited
An Ethiopian family has been finally reunited, thanks to an interest-free travel loan provided by Sanctuary’s donors! Girma is a former refugee from Ethiopia, forced to escape dangerous persecution by the Ethiopian Government due to false accusations made against him for his support for the opposition side of politics. He escaped and sought refuge in Kenya and ended up in Daadab Refugee Camp, … Read More