More than 250 people gathered this week  at SSI Community Kitchen’s Eid- al- fitr (عيد الفطر) celebration to mark the end of Ramadan. The Eid celebration attracted a larger than usual number of visitors and volunteers who all pitched in and enjoyed the warm weather and festive atmosphere.

SSI and Macarthur Diversity Services Inc. staff, volunteers and special guests that included people seeking asylum joined together for a community Iftar dinner at Campbelltown Civic Hall, last month. 

As a key provider of resettlement and community integration support to refugees and asylum seekers in Australia, SSI has an important role in ensuring that the views of this marginalised group are clearly represented to local, regional and international stakeholders.

Nineteen-year-old SSI client Atoosa Nooralizadeh is the recipient of an education scholarship awarded by The Hills branch of Soroptimist International, a worldwide organisation to empower women and girls.

Hasan, an SSI client living in the community while he awaits the outcome of this refugee application, has won silver at the NSW Judo Championships held last week. Hasan finished second in the 66kg division, which qualifies him for the National Championship next year.

SSI gratefully accepted a generous donation of toys, blankets and food items for refugee and asylum seeker families from ‘Women Empowering Refugee Women’, a joint initiative of Knox Grammar and Ravenswood School for Girls , who kindly delivered donations to the SSI Parramatta office yesterday.

SSI celebrates 12 months of delivering the Ability Links NSW program today, July 22, with staff and partners in Parramatta. The program, funded by the NSW Government’s Department of Family & Community Services, Ageing, Disability and Home Care, began operating on July 1 2014.

A short documentary film based on a day in the life of Bassam Jabar, a SSI Ignite entrepreneur, has won four awards in the 22nd Sydney Film School Festival, at the July 15 awards night held at the Chauvel Cinema, Paddington.

Presenting at the Advancing Community Cohesion Conference, held at University of Western Sydney today, Settlement services International (SSI) Chief Operating officer Dr Astrid Perry said social cohesion was a multifaceted concept where a clear definition had been difficult to achieve.

From January 1, 2016, SSI will be the designated National Community Hubs Program (NCHP) Support Agency in NSW, enabling the organisation to extend its existing humanitarian settlement work supporting migrant and refugee families.

Over the last few weeks you may have read or heard about Ramadan. Ramadan is observed by Muslims around the world and is a period of about 30 days of fasting from dawn until sunset. During the fasting period, food and drink is only served before dawn and after sunset. So you can imagine the anticipation that Iftar (evening meal) brings.

SSI case managers and clients joined the general public in the Fourth Annual Multicultural Cup knockout soccer tournament last month. The seven-aside knockout tournament was held on June 28, with two teams of SSI clients who are seeking asylum playing off for the championship.

SSI has come a long way as an organisation since, April 2011 when we had just one staff member. Just how rapidly the organisation had grown and developed was very clear on July 1, when we officially began work in three new contract areas.

Settlement Services International (SSI) has today, July 1, opened its doors as an employment services provider based in Campsie. SSI will deliver the Australian Government’s jobactive services to job seekers living within the Sydney East Metro region.

Today marks the first day of the new Settlement Services Program (SSP) for newly arrived migrants, humanitarian entrants and refugees, delivered by the 22-member consortium NSW Settlement Partnership (NSP).

Settlement Services International (SSI) and Social Enterprises Sydney have announced that from July 1 they will join forces to offer social enterprise services.

Settlement Services International (SSI) congratulates NSW Premier Mike Baird following his announcement today that the state government will provide travel concessions to asylum seekers from January 1, 2016.

Settlement Services International (SSI) will take part in a world-first research project involving thousands of men that aims to end the embarrassment that stops them from getting help for conditions such as depression and anxiety.

SSI's second Speakers' Series event for 2015, Achieving justice for victims of mass atrocities, on May 18, featured special guest speaker the Ambassador-at-Large in the US Office of Global Criminal Justice Department of State, Stephen J Rapp. Watch the full recording of Mr Rapp's presentation and the following Q&A session here.

About 1000 people celebrated World Refugee Day by enjoying the talents and culture on display at SSI’s New Beginnings Refugee Arts and Culture Festival, on June 20. The festival was billed as a “celebration of hope, unity and new beginnings” on the United Nations’ World Refugee Day to mark the anniversary of the adoption of the 1951 Refugee Convention.