ACT Refugees struggle to find their feet.
News article published in the Canberra Times.
Updated June 17 2024 – 6:46am, first published 5:30am
For Pema Amnyi, life in Australia as a refugee has been full of opportunities, and plagued with difficulties.
While she’s no longer fighting to find shelter and food for her family, she said moving to Canberra had been very difficult.
“I feel like we’re very safe, but on the other side, financially, it’s very tiring, very limited” she said.
“There’s so many opportunities, and if I’m not OK for my kids, and not OK for my mum, how can I make a better life for them?”
Even her son’s dreams make her cry, he wants to play soccer, basketball and take karate classes, but she hasn’t got the money to pay for them.
Resettlement just the first hurdle
Refugee living in the ACT aren’t getting enough support to succeed, a local organisation says as the United Nation Refugee Week begins.
Brian Calder from Canberra Refugee Support said refugee arriving in Australia faced enormous challenges.
“For many families, it takes many, many years to culturally settle into Australia and so the arbitrary cut-off on time for support does not work for them.”