In just a few short days one of our CRS asylum seeker families has experienced both the worst and the best of humanity.
After a medical appointment at one of Canberra’s walk-in centres the father and husband of the family was sitting in his car when he was approached by three young women who started talking to him and then, while he was distracted, grabbed his car keys and ran off. As he scrambled to recover them, they jumped in the car and tried, unsuccessfully to start it. Instead, they found his wallet and ran off again. It just so happened that he had just withdrawn enough cash to pay several weeks rent.
A devastating experience for a man and a family who have experienced much trauma and hardship and are struggling more than ever to manage with three small children during a Canberra COVID lockdown.
Thankfully the story doesn’t end here. With the help and encouragement of his CRS volunteers, he reported the matter to the police and cancelled his cards. CRS was able to help cover the immediate rent owed and a call out to friends of his support volunteers led to generous donations to assist this family hold their heads above water for a bit longer.
In these days, when many people are finding life hard in many ways, it’s heartening to be reminded that there are always some who find it in themselves to help those in greater need. CRS is grateful to the many Canberrans that volunteer and make donations to lighten the load of refugees and asylum seekers living in Canberra.