In the midst of the challenges faced by refugees arriving in Australia, one organisation has stepped forward in a particularly remarkable way.
Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) is a Catholic organisation that accompanies, serves and advocates for the rights of forcibly displaced people internationally.
“In Australia,” says JRS Service Delivery Manager Maeve Brown, “this looks like a number of different projects and services mainly operating out of Western Sydney.” Some of these programs include a food bank, emergency assistance, community activities, legal clinics, and support for women seeking asylum.
Inspired by the teachings of Jesus Christ, JRS offers hope and healing to every client.
“JRS is able to feed 200 households per week thanks to the generous donations from individuals, parishes and schools,” says Maeve.
One such person that can attest to the support received by JRS is Magdalene – a former Sports Journalist-cum-asylum seeker from Sierra Leone on the southwest coast of West Africa.
Speaking up turned to danger
“I grew up seeing women lose their lives [to female genital mutilation]… I wanted to lend my voice. The only way I could fight back was to speak up, but doing that got me into trouble with my community, politicians, the police,” she confessed.
Initially arriving in Australia, it wasn’t long before Magdalene began receiving threatening text messages and warnings from friends to avoid returning home as the authorities were searching for her.
“It had to do with tradition. They believed I shouldn’t be talking about it, so it was very dangerous for me in Sierra Leone at that time. I decided to stay and seek asylum,” she painfully recalls.
Comfort offered when all seemed hopeless
“At that time, I was hungry. I was hopeless. I was homeless. When the Case Worker saw me, she was concerned about my health. She walked me into a small room with lots of food and said ‘Magdalene, take anything you want and make yourself comfortable!’ The food bank at JRS was the saving grace for me.”
Of the delivery drivers and dispatch workers, Magdalene says, “It was a blessing… Asylum seekers and refugees are vulnerable, so when we see those delivery drivers – the volunteers – it is a great, great thing.”
Dedication doesn’t stop at 5pm
Magdalene expresses that if it weren’t for the JRS food bank and her case worker’s dedication to finding her accommodation, she may not have lived to see another day.
“She was out on the streets until 10pm finding me accommodation. She didn’t want me to go back to the park to sleep. Ever since that time, I decided my pathway would be to help others.”
A message of hope
Today, Magdalene helps asylum seekers like her as Shadow Case Worker and Support Worker in the Finding Safety Project at the Women’s Space with the JRS. She also has a message of hope for the refugees experiencing hardship right now.
“Just because we are asylum seekers doesn’t mean that we should just sit back. Keep pushing. The world will see you and you will achieve what you want. We can do well if given the opportunity.”
Jesuit Refugee Service and House of Welcome in Granville rely on donations of non-perishable food to give to people who have fled their own countries and are now on bridging visas allowing them limited access to work and government services.
The need is urgent. The Diocese of Parramatta has created a video and online information to assist parishes and schools organise food drives for JRS and the House of Welcome.
Watch the video and find information on how you can help with food donations and food drives at parracatholic.org/fooddrive
Belinda Harding is a freelance writer and contributor to Catholic Outlook.
