Sanctuary Australia Foundation is a multiawardwinning organization welcoming and supporting refugees from many wartorn areas of the world. Most refugees have suffered persecution, shock and trauma, and many have lost everything, often including loved ones, their home, their work, their community, their freedom, their security and hope for the future. We believe that all victims of war have the right to a safe and hopeful future with dignity, regardless of race or creed. * The Sanctuary Advice and Support Service assists newcomers with many aspects of settlement into their new community, including help with referrals for education, help with starting a business, finding work, cultural adjustment and social support. We also receive many requests for advice and help from relatives here seeking family reunion, and work with a probono Migration agent to provide this assistance. * The Sanctuary Travel Loan Program provides interestfree travel loans for sponsored refugees once they are finally accepted for an Australian visa. We book their travel with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and once settled, they gradually repay their travel loan, and this money is then recycled to help others. It is an excellent, sustainable program, with a 99% repayment record over 26 years, and every dollar given is used again to assist others in real need. * The Sanctuary School Aid Program provides school fees to several disadvantaged refugee families in Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe. Without money to cover the cost of school fees, refugee children have a bleak future, without access to education and are especially disadvantaged when settling in a third country. Occasionally small amounts of basic support are provided to help refugees in need of emergency assistance, food and medical treatment.
International Activities
The Sanctuary School Aid Program assists several sponsored refugee families with school fees. This enables their children to attend school and have equal opportunity with other children. Without this small amount of funding, their children are at severe disavantage, not only in their future life, but when they are resettled in a third country, as it can make a big difference in adjusting to their new community when they have received early education. The early years of schooling are vital to establish a firm foundaton for future learning, university study and work opportunities.