2005 General Projects
More Food for Life - Asylum Seeker Welcome Centre
A project entitled ‘More Food for Life’ has ensured that asylum seekers can access something most of us take for granted: fresh food. The Asylum Seeker Welcome Centre in Brunswick, Victoria has brought hope to asylum seekers who are alone and suffering distress, destitution and helplessness.
The project was funded by the Mary MacKillop Foundation to alleviate hunger and improve physical and mental health. It grew from a program introduced in 2004 to assist asylum seekers living in the community, primarily those on a Bridging Visa E who have no entitlements to government financial assistance or to work rights or Medicare. It was also open to those with work rights who are unable to work because of ill health or lack of English.
Asylum seekers from countries as diverse as Turkey, Afghanistan, Cameroon, Nigeria, Pakistan, Burma, Iraq and Iran were provided with the means to eat healthily and use the Centre as a place of refuge. Many had experienced poverty and isolation and had no understanding of nutrition or the motivation to cook. They faced a range of health problems – some related to malnutrition and others brought on by trauma, anxiety or depression. While the project was unable to directly act on the root cause of their suffering, it did allow some healing to occur. It involved them with others through food preparation and social interaction and introduced them to the Centre’s Swim for Life programme, English conversation and computer activities. At its most basic, it provided a warm shelter.
Thanks to the Mary MacKillop Foundation, a diverse group of asylum seekers were able to overcome their hunger, increase their self-reliance and enhance their human dignity.
Margaret Gibson
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