Meeting those we support

Every asylum seeker and refugee has their own unique story, a past from which they have been forced to flee and a future filled with uncertainty and - sometimes - hope. At JRS we have tried to capture the essence of the refugee experience by recording some of their stories.

Nelson, Sri Lanka

Nelson, a Sri Lankan refugee, sought asylum in Australia while visiting the country with his dance troupe in 2008. He was taking a huge risk, and one that threatened to break up his precious family. Relentlessly persecuted, threatened with imprisonment, and surrounded by the violence of a country at war with itself, Nelson had little choice but to seek a better life elsewhere. ‘Every day there are bomb blasts, shooting,' he says. ‘Children are used as soldiers.' Forced to leave behind his wife and two young children, Nelson didn't know when-or if-he would see them again. Read more...

Therese, Rwanda

Therese fled Rwanda in 2006 after being forcibly separated from her husband and three sons. For two and a half years, she prayed for their safety as she endured life in a refugee camp in Tanzania. With determination and resilience, she made her way to Australia in search of a safe home. Her dream became a reality when she was granted permanent residency, and with support from Jesuit Refugee Service Therese was able to find both employment and a place to live. And then came the greatest gift of all. Read more...

A miraculous chain of events involving the Jesuit Refugee Service has resulted in the reuniting of a Rwandan refugee with the three sons she was separated from three years ago. Therese, who arrived in Australia six months ago, was a last-minute replacement guest speaker at the JRS Melbourne Cup Luncheon in November 2008. Read more...

Levi, Kenya

One of the first things you notice about Levi is the gentleness in his voice.
It is an appropriate quality for this trained nurse from Kenya, who came to
Australia for World Youth Day. Victimised in his homeland, Levi was fearful of
further persecution upon his return. ‘You can't sit down and wait when your
neighbours have disappeared for interrogation. You have to move,' he says. Read more...

Babar, Pakistan

Babar has faced a painful journey since fleeing repression and intimidation in Pakistan in 2001. He arrived in Australia alone and scared. A bridging visa
meant he was soon able to find work-first at a chicken factory and then as a taxi driver. ‘Australia is my honey land, the land where you can fill up your dreams,' he would tell his passengers. But eight years later, he is still battling. He has been through the courts more times than he can remember, and lost money to unscrupulous migration agents. Read more...

Gideon, Cameroon

My name is Gideon T and I arrived in Australia from my home country of Cameroon on the 3rd of March of 2009. When I first arrived, I was living with someone I met through some contacts and stayed with him for three months. This was the agreement we made, but then I had to move out. Luckily, right before this time was over, someone gave me the address and phone number of the Jesuit Refugee Service. I called JRS and was relieved to be given an appointment to come and visit their office. Read more...

Making a new home in Australia

JRS's 'new kid on the block', a refugee and asylum seeker shelter the Sydney suburb of Ashfield, recently received a $5,000 grant from the Sisters of Charity Foundation. The house opened in September and currently houses seven men from almost every continent on the globe. Read more...

Sydney's united nations

Seven refugees from almost every continent in the world have settled into the newest JRS shelter, a house in Ahsfield in Sydney's inner west. Volunteers and supporters came along to help celebrate the opening of the house. Read more...