Mission Australia
Our Vision is to see a fairer Australia by enabling people in need to find pathways to a better life
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Migrants and refugees give back to Australia |
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| Friday, 09 May 2008 16:39 | ||||
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National Volunteers Week 12-18 May 2008 One of the country’s largest charities, Mission Australia reports that more than half of volunteers at its Migrant and Refugee Services are from non-English speaking backgrounds (NESB), conflicting with recent research by Monash University suggesting that migrants from NESBs are less likely to volunteer than Australian-born people and migrants from English speaking countries. Of 509 people volunteering several hours per week at Mission Australia’s Home Tutor and Enhancement Program and the Integrated Humanitarian Settlement Strategy (IHSS)Volunteer Coordination Unit, 267 volunteers – or fifty two percent – are from NESBs including the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, India, Iraq, Afghanistan, Burma, Sudan, Sierra Leone and Liberia. Home Tutor and Enhancement Program volunteers teach English and other basic skills to migrants in their own homes to help them adapt to life in Australia. IHSS volunteers help newly arrived refugees settle into the country by connecting them to government and community organisations, health services, the public transport system, English classes and other services in their local area. In the past year, NESB volunteers from both services helped more than 700 migrant and refugee families to learn English and settle in Australia. Ms Shakti Sah-Raj, Mission Australia Services Manager for Migrant and Refugee Services said that the volunteers have donated countless hours to helping vulnerable people settle into this country. “Having gone through their own experiences of settling into a new country, our volunteers are able to bring their knowledge, their experiences and their understanding to their work. “Without these volunteers, we wouldn’t be able to help migrants and refugees, who have faced untold hardships in their home countries and who have come to Australia looking for a better life. “In many countries, helping your neighbours or the community that you live in is not seen as volunteering; it’s seen as an essential part of every day family and community life,” Ms Sah-Raj said. Media contact: Anh Dang, (02) 9641 5031 or 0423 028 654. 
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