2005 General Projects
Josephite Community Aid - Helping Refugee Families
‘Toongabbie Teaming’ was funded by the Mary MacKillop Foundation to help newly arrived refugee women settle into Australia. The Josephite Community Aid project brought together Sudanese women from the outer western suburbs of Sydney to learn English and other skills through a range of activities.
Each week, volunteers prepared for the arrival of the women and their children at the Toongabbie Community Centre. Under the care of young JCA volunteers and older women, children ranging from infants to 5 years were introduced to suitable activities – something of a challenge as they were not used to play or playing together. Meanwhile the women gathered in another room for a morning programme that included practice in English speaking around a craft activity. A guest speaker organized by the Migrant Resource Centre discussed aspects of living in Australia, e.g. their rights in law, nutrition, immunization and other medical concerns.
By the end of the project the women had built up a supportive network and the Migrant Resource Centre was able to provide them with a properly accredited sewing course and English classes. The child-minding facilities provided were essential to the women’s participation.
In the spirit of Mary MacKillop, we respond to the needs of our time in very practical ways. In attempting to provide refugee families with tools to settle more easily into a different society, we respect their dignity and bring some hope to their lives. We are grateful to the Foundation for enabling us to carry out this project.
Monica Barlow rsj
Josephite Community Aid Inc.
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