WA - Australian Red Cross

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A sustainable lunchbox Fay (centre) is working as a nutrition adviser for the Laotian Ministry of Education. Fay Bushell is determined to improve the health and nutrition of school children in Laos. She is on a two-year sabbatical from her job as operations manager of food services for the NSW Department of Corrective Services and is working as a nutrition adviser for the Laotian Australian Red Cross/Bart Verweij Ministry of Education through the Australian Volunteers for International Development program. Laos is in the early stages of rolling out a national school meals program, comprising balanced school lunches, nutrition education and opportunities for local farmers to sell fresh produce to schools. As Fay explains, the program will help children to stay in school. “A lot of students have to walk very far to get to school; if they had to walk home for lunch each day, most wouldn’t come back to school in the afternoon. “The purpose of this program is to increase the enrolment rate for students in primary school, reduce the drop-out rate and therefore improve overall education outcomes.” Most school lunches include cooked rice, a portion of protein, and vegetables. The program encourages villagers to donate or sell food to schools, with the ultimate aim of having all meal ingredients sourced from local farmers and growers. Less than halfway through her twoyear assignment, Fay knows there’s a long way to go. “This assignment really interested me and I have a passion for this work. Also, I was born in Thailand and wanted to bring my children back to experience the culture of this region. In a way it feels like a return home.” Red Cross is a partner of the Australian Volunteers for International Development which is an Australian Government, AusAID initiative. Visit www.ausaid.gov.au/volunteer and search for the Red Cross assignments or call us on 03 9345 1834. Desperate struggle for health care in newest nation A year after South Sudan achieved independence, health care continues to be a major issue. When South Sudan achieved independence on 9 July 2011, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) established a delegation in South Sudan’s biggest city, Juba. The region has faced years of ongoing armed conflict with tragic consequences, including a lack of access to basic healthcare services. Fighting around the northern border with Sudan escalated in April, which has had a direct impact on the availability and price of food, contributing to an increase in child deaths from malnutrition. According to the Ministry of Health, South Sudan has about 120 medical doctors and just over 100 registered nurses for an estimated population of nearly nine million people. Together with the South Sudanese Government, the ICRC manages a physical rehabilitation centre in Juba, the only operational one of its kind in the country. Navid Dadbin, a physiotherapist with the ICRC, has been overseeing the treatment of ten-year-old Karima Deng, who was in her village Abiemnom when a bomb fell and her leg had to be amputated. Navid is confident that Karima’s spirits will lift when her artificial limb is fitted and explains an important psychological aspect of having access to this rehabilitation centre is that the patient comes into contact with others who have lost a limb. The need is great as the Juba Physical Rehabilitation Reference Centre is Mothers and their children must arrive early to be seen by health professionals in South Sudan’s capital Juba. currently able to fit 50 limbs per month but they need to be treating double this number. Australian Red Cross works to promote safer, healthier and more sustainable lives for people in developing countries. To donate to Red Cross’ everyday work, visit redcross org.au or call 1800 811 700. ICRC/Conor Ashleigh PAGE 8
Just like me Eight teenagers chill out on colourful beanbags in front of a film screen in North Melbourne. Their backgrounds are diverse. Some are asylum seekers who have come a long way to be here, others are local Red Cross volunteers. Casually dressed in T-shirts and jeans, it is difficult to distinguish program participants from volunteers. Alexander Brown, 19, is a Red Cross volunteer involved in the Refugee and Asylum Seeker Youth (RAY) program in Victoria, which brings young people together during school holidays to help vulnerable newly arrived young people adapt to their new environment. Alexander has discovered he has a lot in common with the young asylum seekers. “…They’re just doing the same thing as we are in Australia. They’re interested in going to school and learning,” Alexander says. “They watch movies, play video games, sports. They are just the same as my friends and I.” Asylum seekers, who have fled their own country to seek protection from the government of another country, face many difficulties and are among the most vulnerable people in our community. They may have little understanding of language and culture, be without friends and family or be dealing with the effects of torture or trauma. They may also have been subjected to prolonged detention. “They are just the same as my friends and I,” says volunteer Alexander Brown, pictured with young asylum seeker Nematollah. Despite the many hardships they face, asylum seekers can retain the strength and skills they need to re-establish their lives, as long as they are provided with support, access to the services they need and information that helps them make informed decisions. Unaccompanied minors in Community Detention Nearly one in five of all asylum seekers coming to Australia are under the age of 18. Many are minors who arrive without parents or family. The Community Detention program provides eligible children under 18 with 24-hour care, safe housing, adequate healthcare and enrols them in school while they wait for a decision on their visa outcomes. The program was developed by Red Cross, other humanitarian agencies and the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) to provide a more Australian Red Cross/Joe Cropp humane model for families with children, unaccompanied minors and individual adults. Living in community detention, rather than in a detention facility, is far better for the mental wellbeing of asylum seekers. It gives them the chance to be part of a community, providing emotional and practical support while they wait for the outcome of their immigration application. Asylum seekers living independently in the community Red Cross is contracted and funded by DIAC to provide asylum seekers in the community with access to vital services to help meet their basic needs, while they await an outcome on their protection visa application. DIAC policy determines the level of support an individual or family will receive based on their needs and the eligibility criteria set for each program. Our staff and volunteers can meet people at the airport, help them locate short-term accommodation for up to six weeks and transport them there. Red Cross can also provide information about longer term accommodation, financial assistance, general healthcare, orientation to their new community and help in setting up a bank account or applying for a tax file number so they can look for work. Red Cross can also provide referrals to counselling, accommodation, health care, material aid such as clothing and furniture, education, legal services and social support. Other work with asylum seekers In addition to these DIAC funded community support programs, Red Cross restores family links for people who have been separated by war, conflict or disaster through our International Tracing services. Red Cross also provides humanitarian monitoring of the conditions of detention and treatment of people still held in immigration facilities. These programs are largely funded by Red Cross. Red Cross works to persuade governments, public authorities and decision makers to act in the interests of vulnerable people and to promote respect for humanitarian values. Consistent with the wider Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, our preferred mode of advocacy is one of direct and confidential dialogue with government and other decision-makers. We seek to work in a way that enables sensitive issues to be discussed in an honest and open manner, but we always retain the right to speak publicly when required. Red Cross works with the most vulnerable people in the most disadvantaged circumstances. As part of this mandate, Red Cross supports vulnerable asylum seekers whose survival, dignity, physical or mental health is at risk. You can donate to Assisting Vulnerable Migrants by visiting redcross.org.au or calling 1800 811 700. Newsletter for members and volunteers PAGE 9
Page 1 and 2: Issue 3, 2012 Newsletter for member
Page 3 and 4: Chair and Executive Director Messag
Page 5 and 6: Event of the century When Red Cross
Page 7: Working with her community Janelle
Page 11 and 12: Embarking on a new adventure There

WA - Australian Red Cross

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