By the Rotary Club of Adelaide Light, SA
Who could forget the images of millions of people scrambling desperately for safety outside Kabul airport in Afghanistan after the Taliban took control?
Simultaneously, some 10,000 kilometres away in Adelaide, SA, members of the Rotary Club of Adelaide Light were undertaking training to engage in a refugee mentoring program through Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia (CRSA).
CRSA is an independent charity organisation that leads, develops and supports the implementation of a community-led refugee support program in Australia. Community sponsorship involves everyday people forming a group and working together to prepare for and welcome a refugee family to their local area, ensuring they are met with a warm, sustained welcome. The group will typically fundraise to cover some of the initial needs of the refugee family, as well as providing practical support to help the newcomers settle into their community, typically for a 12-month period.
Welcoming, everyday people with knowledge of the local area? Sounds like Rotarians, right?
Katey Halliday, a dual member of the Rotary Club of Adelaide Light and Adelaide City Rotaract, immediately identified the potential for Rotary clubs to get involved.
“I was excited to learn about the mentoring program being offered by CRSA as a stepping-stone towards community refugee sponsorship and brought the idea to my club,” said Katey. Enthusiastically, several members as well as some friends of the club quickly stepped up to engage in the program, undertaking training provided by CRSA.
By December 2021, the group was matched with a family of seven. Their story is unimaginable, including spending three days in the crowds outside Kabul airport without food, water, or the ability to rest, while they desperately made their way to Australian military officers to be lifted over the wall to safety.
Over the past year, the group has guided and watched their mentee family, including grandma, grandpa, mum, dad and three young children, as they successfully transitioned to life in Australia, becoming firm friends in the process.
“We have supported them to navigate various processes, including attaining their permanent residency and driver’s licence,” Katey said.
Regular English lessons on weekends and social catch-ups have provided valued opportunities to get to know each other and share both Australian and Afghan culture.
“While the gratitude our mentees have expressed tells us the mentoring experience has been a great opportunity for them, it has also been immensely satisfying for members of our mentor group,” Katey said. “It reinforces the benefit that Rotary can bring in supporting and resettling refugees, who invariably leave their homelands as a last resort.”
“The refugee mentoring program is perhaps the single best project we’ve ever done,” said Rotary Club of Adelaide Light President John Wotherspoon, who has been a Rotary member for 37 years.
With the proven success of the mentoring program, in 2022 the Australian Government announced support for community refugee sponsorship through a program managed by CRSA known as Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot (CRISP).
This pilot is the next step from mentoring and involves community support right from the beginning: welcoming refugees at the airport, helping them to settle into a new home, and connecting them with necessary services.
As the club wraps up its formal mentoring support, they are now considering their next steps on this journey.
“We have transitioned to being great friends, and one mentee family member, Erfan, has even been inducted as a new Rotarian in our club, already proving himself a strong community advocate,” Katey said.
With vast community connections, it’s clear that Rotary can have a huge impact on the lives of refugees, while in turn enriching the lives and purpose of the Rotary members involved.
For more information about the CRISP program, visit the CRSA website at refugeesponsorship.org.au