When I look back on the hundreds of stories we have published this year, three stand out for me not only in terms of newsworthiness but because they represent who we are as a people of faith and hope with an inherent belief in the dignity of every human being.
The Bakhtiari family made headlines around the world in 2004 when they were deported in the early hours of the morning by Australian immigration officials after fleeing Afghanistan four years earlier. Two decades later, one of the Bakhtiari children, Nagina Zahra, is back living in Adelaide and recently began teaching at the school she attended while the family was under the care of Centacare Catholic Family Services. In an exclusive interview with KATIE SPAIN, Nagina recalls those traumatic times and her journey back to St Aloysius College where she is now helping students settle into their new home.
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After years of letter-writing to MPs, protesting on the streets and, above all, listening to and supporting families shattered by a cruel immigration policy, the Circle of Friends paused last month to rejoice over the Federal Government’s decision to give permanent residency to more than 19,000 refugees.
She’s worked as a zookeeper and on an animal therapy farm, looked after asylum seeker children in community detention and taught English and swimming, but Emma Yengi says providing much-needed help to asylum seekers and refugees living in Adelaide has been her greatest career choice so far.
The need for increased funding to provide food relief in the community, particularly schools, is one of five areas being brought to the attention of voters in the lead up to the State election on March 19.
When boatloads of Vietnamese refugees began arriving on our shores in the late 70s and early 80s, together with those arriving by plane from refugee camps in other countries, there was a level of fear and ignorance about what this meant for our nation.
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