A partnership between Auburn Diversity Services Inc. (ADSi) and the Family Creative Hub at Information and Cultural Exchange (ICE) at Parramatta has resulted in a beautiful, bird-themed picture book that reflects the stories of communities that live in Auburn.

Preparing for the birth of a child should be a joyful experience. For women who have come to Australia seeking safety, however, pregnancy comes with the added stress of having to acquire essential items — like nappies, cots and prams — when they’re far away from family and friends and have limited financial resources.

A talented artist who is seeking asylum in Australia has found his place in the local arts community after getting involved with SSI Arts and Culture initiatives such as the annual New Beginnings: Refugee Arts and Culture Festival.

The relationship between SSI Ignite Small Business Start-ups (Ignite) and the University of Wollongong (UOW) began almost two years ago and has since enabled several entrepreneurs from refugee backgrounds, or who are seeking asylum, to start their own businesses supported by a student from the UOW Faculty of Business.

Rahaf Alrifai still remembers how lucky she felt when she was told that she had a job with SSI. Ms Alrifai was referred by Centrelink to SSI Jobactive in Campsie to get support to start her job search.

Using experience gained over a career in technology and management, Ian Elgey is supporting young refugees and migrants to find their feet in the Australian workplace.

SSI staff from Ignite Small Business Start-ups and Ability Links NSW participated in a week of training by Dr Ernesto Sirolli to build their knowledge and skills of using an enterprise facilitation model to assist people to establish a small business.

A group of novice singers and musicians from refugee and migrant backgrounds delighted a packed audience at the Powerhouse Youth Theatre, Fairfield, on December 10 with their Women in Harmony showcase.

As the New Year ticked over, a common theme in reflections on 2016 was the adversity the year brought with it. Along with the loss of popular icons such as David Bowie, Harper Lee and Leonard Cohen, we experienced unprecedented global events, like Brexit and the mass migration of people seeking safety, and saw escalating violence in areas such as Syria and South Sudan.

Until recently, 62-year-old Campsie resident Ming Zhong was one of the many Australians struggling to provide care to family members with a disability. Besides being a sole carer for his wife, who has a physical disability and mental health issues, and for his mother, diagnosed with dementia, Mr Zhong’s family also includes his daughter and her two young children.

SSI’s Romal Baluchzada is looking forward to another year supporting and advocating for refugees and people seeking asylum, after last year receiving one of the not-for-profit sector’s top accolades for his work in this area.

Thousands of refugees across the country recently celebrated their first Christmas in Australia. For a special group of new arrivals, the festive season began early at an SSI celebration last month.

Having just come out of an abusive relationship and suffering from severe anxiety attacks, Virginia Willie found herself in a very low period of her life and didn’t believe anyone could help her to get out of it - until her first meeting with SSI's ParentsNext program.

Bert Oldfield Primary School, Seven Hills, hosted a colourful Diwali 2016 Cultural Exchange on November 5. The event was a collaboration between SydWest Multicultural Services, Community Hubs in the Blacktown local government area and local businesses and community organisations.

Culinary duo Sharon and Carol Salloum returned to SSI Community Kitchen last week to cook a Syrian-inspired barbecue lunch. The sisters, who run Sydney restaurant Almond Bar, are no strangers to the Community Kitchen, having previously used their professional culinary skills to cook for refugees and people seeking asylum at the fortnightly lunch event.

Community Hubs at Banksia Road and Rydalmere Public Schools organised special Grandparents Day events on November 2, attracting over 300 grandparents, parents and grandchildren.

The NSW Community Hubs team reviewed and celebrated its past year’s Hub activities during the team's annual meeting in November.  The meeting was an opportunity for participants to share their challenges and learnings, and to discuss priorities and the expansion of the program in 2017.

SSI’s Ignite Small Business Start-ups is to benefit from donations of around $60,000 thanks to the amazing generosity of Google and its Sydney-based staff.

By Elise Marley-Wallace, Allianz Public Relations and Social Media Manager In December 2016, more than 20 Allianz Australia employees volunteered over 200 hours to support not-for-profit humanitarian organisation, Settlement Services International (SSI), as part of Allianz’s community outreach program.  

A new SSI partnership operating nation-wide will help entrepreneurs from refugee backgrounds fast-track their business plans and achieve their goal of establishing a successful business in Australia.