Annual Report 2016

Our Organisation
“ I truly believe in the power
of laughter. Often refugees
lose their sense of humour
because of what they’ve
experienced, whether it
be torture, imprisonment
or witnessing the death of
family members. Not until
they regain their sense of
humour, can they recover.”
For over 40 years, Sabi who is a
volunteer interpreter has assisted
thousands of individuals and families
navigate often complex and stressful
matters, whether it’s children in hospital
or individuals unwittingly caught up in
Victoria’s legal system. Recently Sabi’s
lifelong commitment to refugees was
rewarded when she won the Refugee
Champion Award at this year’s Friends
of Refugees and Asylum Seeker Awards.
Sabi also volunteers in the ASRC
Foodbank on Fridays, she says to
‘pop in and say hello’.
In the past 12 months we have seen the greatest
humanitarian crisis facing people seeking asylum
since the days of Malcolm Fraser. Over 30,000 people
seeking asylum who arrived by sea have been left
in limbo for up to five years. This has driven our
commitment in 2015–16 to build a strong infrastructure
that supports accountability, eficiency and enhances
the capacity for all staf and volunteers to carry out
their work, and respond to the growing need for the
ASRC’s services.
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