Refugee Week, from Sunday 16 June to Saturday 22 June, celebrates the contributions refugees and people seeking asylum make in our communities.
We sat down with 4 Refugee Council of Australia ambassadors to talk about their experiences in Sydney, their goals and dreams, and this year’s Refugee Week theme, Finding Freedom: Family.
Milad
Tell us about your experience as a refugee in Sydney.
I came from Iraq and I’ve been here for about 10 years. When I left I was about 8 years old. A lot of things happened when I was there because of the war. I saw images that I can’t forget, things that are hard to forget as a kid.
We left Iraq for Syria. My family and I were there for 6 years and after the third year, things were becoming worse and worse. The war was happening and we couldn’t go back to our country because of the persecution and we couldn’t really go to any other place.
It was not an easy journey. To think that I survived this, I can keep pushing forward and know that I’m safe here. That’s one thing I can take, like a message for me from this journey.
What are your goals and dreams?
I came from a place where healthcare was not available and provided as it should be. I studied a Masters of Pharmacy to become a pharmacist because it’s a platform for me to provide healthcare to others to the best of my ability. It’s something I want to keep doing and that’s my goal – to be a positive part of this community and be able to give back. I came here 10 years ago with no English. And I had to keep building myself up to this point and still there is a lot of work I need to still learn and improve and all that requires time.
It requires time to build a new life and to get to a point where we are able to give back to the community. It’s a very positive investment the community can make in refugees because we’re going to also be a part of this community, to build it up together.
What does family mean to you?
Family for me played a very important part during my journey. We went from place to place, moving to places where you know no one other than your family. Us sticking together and helping each other was a key factor in our survival on this journey to Australia.
Join Milad and students from Central Sydney Intensive English High School for a pancake morning tea at Cliff Noble Community Centre on Friday 21 June.
Tahera
Tell us about your experience as a refugee in Sydney.
To be honest, when I landed in Australia, I was struck by the immense challenge ahead of me. I felt as though I stood at the foot of a towering, daunting mountain and I had to find a way to climb up.
Navigating a new land without the support of family, facing numerous obstacles, grappling with the unfamiliarity of the people, culture and language – I often questioned the decisions I made in solitude.
Despite these hardships, my motivation stemmed from the vision that one day I would be part of this country and bring positive change. This hope was a beacon of light guiding me through the challenges and uncertainties as I forged ahead.
What are your goals and dreams?
My dream and mission is to extend a helping hand to women refugees from all corners of the globe, offering my time, support, and advocacy.
Refugees do not choose to be refugees, they are forced under their circumstances, and it is our duty to support them without prejudice.
What does Finding Freedom mean to you?
To me, it means reaching out to myself, finding the true version of 'me'. Reconnecting with my heart and soul without being forced to do something which I am not happy to do. I have been labelled as 'refugee' by force and I am still trying to find the meaning of freedom behind this status.
Tahera will speak at Reginald Murphy Community Centre on Wednesday 19 June. The talk will be followed by delicious food, live music and dance.
Tariq
Tell us about your experience as a refugee in Sydney.
For part of my life I was raised in Iran during the civil war in Afghanistan. We left Afghanistan and went to the neighbouring country Iran where I did part of my high school education. We went back to Afghanistan and I did my degree there. I came to Australia in early 2011.
I believe terms such as 'immigrants' and 'refugees' are not alien to Australian people and I felt that I was welcomed when I arrived here. In the process of settling in a new society, I continued my studies and tried to catch up with the rest of the population. We didn’t come from equal footing because English is not our first language and we didn’t have any local experience when it comes to the job market.
What are your goals and dreams?
I’m focused on my career and also building my business. I have one small law firm with my partner. We have 3 people working for us, but we are planning to expand it and have 20 people work for us. That’s my goal and dream to reach.
Reaching goals is challenging, but it comes back to you and your choice to turn every challenge into an opportunity and see it positively. For example, I was challenged in the workplace. You come across not very nice people and that just inspired me to find a better person to work with or build my own business.
Being a refugee can be a highly traumatising experience, but a new country, new society is a great opportunity to start again and see things with a positive spirit.
What does Finding Freedom: Family mean to you?
Freedom for me is freedom of choice. What do you want to do in your life? Human beings should have the choice to have options to choose, to help them grow as a human being. I think to a certain extent, Australia gave me that opportunity.
If you don’t have your family, it’s your choice to create your family in the new society. The sooner you do that, the sooner you feel that you belong to that society or community. So to me, I have tried to do that through my networks and friends. I’ve tried to build or establish feelings that I have a family or support system here because family is about a support system.
Tariq will speak at Ron Williams Community Centre on Wednesday 19 June. The talk will be followed by morning tea from social enterprise Parliament on King that provides catering prepared by refugees and asylum seekers.
Yaser
Tell us about your experience as a refugee in Sydney.
I’m originally from Tehran, Iran. I moved to Australia in 2014.
Settling in a new country with a new language and a new culture, new system of doing things, having no family – it’s a bit challenging and difficult. When you’re a refugee, you learn how to adapt and quickly get on your feet and find your way.
What are your goals and dreams?
Being here is one of my goals – I’m in Australia, free, alive. I’m a survivor so that’s a great goal that has been achieved.
Looking to the future, first thing is having my family here next to me and to support them along the way. Especially for my niece – she’s 8 – so I want her to have freedom and opportunity for her future.
Running my own business, that’s another goal I really want to achieve – in terms of not only making money but helping others as well.
And the other one would be writing my story as a book.
My work is B2B marketing and I do advocacy alongside that. I talk to corporations and motivate them to hire more refugees in terms of diversity and inclusion. I talk to CEOs and managers about how there is a great pool of talent out there. It’s untouched, a lot of people don’t know about it. A lot of refugees are already skilled, they have the degree and a lot of experience. They just need an opportunity. I try to advocate in that area.
What does Finding Freedom: Family mean to you?
Family is everything but I’ve been far away from my family for the past 12 years. It’s been very difficult because physically I haven’t been with them but I've been supporting them along the way.
I grew up in a country where we don’t have the same freedom as we have here in Australia. I paid a heavy price to be here and experience freedom. My family is now living in that environment where they don’t have the freedom that we live and breathe here. They are now on a transition to move here and I have been working hard to help them, so they can also experience the gift of freedom.
Yaser will share his story at St Helen’s Community Centre on Friday 21 June.
Hear from Milad, Tahera, Tariq and Yaser, 16 to 22 June at Refugee Week.
Published 14 June 2024
