Hani is a poet whose work is shaped by resilience, memory and hope. Through her writing, she shares stories of strength. Poetry allowed her to find her voice, and share her story with the world. It gave her the...
22 April 2026
A Million Stories
As we mark Australia's milestone of welcoming a million refugees this Refugee Week, we celebrate the million lives, the million stories that have helped shape the Australia we all call home today.
Ravi’s Story
Ravi is the co-founder of Parliament on King, a social enterprise established in 2013 that offers a safe and caring space for refugees and people seeking asylum. Through the sharing of food, it builds community and...
22 April 2026
Maria’s Story
Maria was born in Saigon in 1975, the same year the decades-long Vietnam War ended. Growing up in a post-war era meant she was surrounded by poverty and turmoil. In early 1987, Maria and her family were captured and...
22 April 2026
Marcus’s Story
Marcus’s story melds the legacy of his parents’ and grandparents’ refugee journeys with the opportunities he’s had growing up in Australia. Marcus spent his early years in the suburbs of Sydney...
22 April 2026
Mirsada’s Story
Mirsada was born in the city of Srebrenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in 1987. When she was still an infant her father passed away suddenly, leaving behind Mirsada, her brother and sister, and their mother...
22 April 2026
Thu-Trang’s Story
Thu-Trang was born in Saigon and spent her early childhood there, in a city shaped by a war that had already ended before she was born. Her family carried its effects long after. When she was still very young, they made...
15 May 2026
Stories of Freedom: Community
For Refugee Week 2025, people from Dandenong, Victoria, shared with us what community means to each of them, and how they've found freedom in the connections they've made in Australia.
Arifa’s Story
Arifa was born in Afghanistan but grew up a refugee in Pakistan with her parents. She returned to Kabul to pursue a Bachelor of Computer Science. However, the outbreak of COVID-19 and the fall of Kabul in 2021 prevented...
7 April 2025
Arozo’s Story
As the first in her family to attend university, Arozo’s journey has been one of resilience and discovery. Originally from Afghanistan, she faced countless challenges when she arrived in Australia – balancing cultural...
7 April 2025
Farkhunda’s Story
Farkhunda arrived in Australia in 2021, from Afghanistan. Making Australia her home was difficult to begin with. “It’s been both challenging and rewarding — from overcoming the language barrier and adjusting to a new...
7 April 2025
John’s Story
Originally from Afghanistan, John has lived in Dandenong for 25 years. “When you belong somewhere, you love everything about the community,” he says. “This is our home now, where we belong.” He shares how the Afghan...
7 April 2025
Kirushanhan’s story
To Kirushanhan, Dandenong’s Tamil community is a safety net. After surviving a lengthy sea journey to Australia in November 2012, he and his family were detained on Christmas Island. “We have been to pretty much all...
7 April 2025
Lenislas’s story
For Lenislas, community is an essential avenue for support and connection. He enjoys being among Dandenong’s Tamil Sri Lankan community, but also embraces how multicultural Dandenong is. “We work together, and help each...
7 April 2025
Maria’s Story
Maria was born and raised in a refugee camp in Thailand, after her parents fled Myanmar. “I grew up stateless, without a passport and with limited opportunities,” she recalls. It was in 2019 that Maria and her family...
7 April 2025
Murugiah’s story
In Dandenong’s Tamil community, Murugiah finds connection and support. “Without my community, I would be helpless,” he shares.
“We talk to each other, and help each other to find work.”
7 April 2025
Parisa’s Story
Parisa faced initial difficulties in her early stages of settling into Australia – learning a new language, adapting to a new culture and even navigating everyday tasks. Through this challenging period, Parisa found...
7 April 2025
Serhii and Tetiana’s Story
Serhii and Tetiana arrived in Australia as refugees from Ukraine. After fleeing war, they found community among fellow students at their English classes. Being among newcomers, like themselves, connects Serhii and...
7 April 2025
Zahira’s Story
Zahira came to Australia in 2019, when she was 19 years old. Though she had no friends here upon her arrival, she built and nurtured a community that empowered and accepted her. Zahira says, “Community means friends...
7 April 2025
Stories of Freedom: Family
In 2024, we invited refugee communities from Toowoomba, Queensland to share with us what freedom and family mean to them.
Akram’s Story
Escaping the turmoil of their homeland, Akram, his wife, and children embarked on a journey fraught with uncertainty.
19 April 2024
Awut and Akol’s Story
Meet Awut, the oldest of nine siblings, and mother to five children, originally from South Sudan.
19 April 2024
Azzam’s Story
For four years, Azzam, his wife, and their eleven children sought refuge in Turkey alongside thousands of others from their community. It was a period fraught with uncertainty, yet amidst the chaos, their bond only grew...
19 April 2024
Barbara’s Story
Barbara, a local humanitarian aid volunteer, has become a beacon of hope and support for many Yazidi refugees who have found solace and strength in her embrace.
19 April 2024
Chnar’s Story
Living in Toowoomba with her parents, siblings, and grandmother, Chnar's life is a testament to the power of family. At just 20 years old, she finds herself shouldering the responsibility of being one of six siblings
19 April 2024
Dakhil’s Story
Dakhil, once a teacher in his homeland, found himself thrust into the chaos of war when his community, part of the Yazidi minority in Iraq, faced the brutal onslaught of the Islamic State.
19 April 2024
Emee’s Story
Emile and her six daughters escaped Iraq in 2014 after ISIS ravaged the northern parts of Iraq and Syria.
19 April 2024
Hanse’s Story
With six children to care for and nurture, Hanse's life has been a testament to the power of family. "I love my daughter, she's my world," she says, her voice filled with warmth and affection.
19 April 2024
Stories of Freedom
In 2023, we also invited people who shared with us what freedom means to each of them. Click on the arrows below to read them all.
This photography is by Muzafar Ali, a Hazara refugee from Afghanistan. He features in the documentary, "Watandar, My Countryman", which chronicles his search for an Afghan-Australian identity in both countries.
The photoshoots were coordinated with the support of the Australian Migrant Resource Centre, which convenes SA Refugee Week annually.
Marcus’s Story
Marcus’s story melds the legacy of his parents’ and grandparents’ refugee journeys with the opportunities he’s had growing up in Australia. Marcus spent his early years in the suburbs of Sydney...
22 April 2026
Maria’s Story
Maria was born in Saigon in 1975, the same year the decades-long Vietnam War ended. Growing up in a post-war era meant she was surrounded by poverty and turmoil. In early 1987, Maria and her family were captured and...
22 April 2026
Mirsada’s Story
Mirsada was born in the city of Srebrenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in 1987. When she was still an infant her father passed away suddenly, leaving behind Mirsada, her brother and sister, and their mother...
22 April 2026
Ravi’s Story
Ravi is the co-founder of Parliament on King, a social enterprise established in 2013 that offers a safe and caring space for refugees and people seeking asylum. Through the sharing of food, it builds community and...
22 April 2026
Hani’s Story
Hani is a poet whose work is shaped by resilience, memory and hope. Through her writing, she shares stories of strength. Poetry allowed her to find her voice, and share her story with the world. It gave her the...
22 April 2026
Ibrahim Ali
It has been quite a journey from Ethiopia to Australia, with no English, to become a part of society here. Freedom for me is to express myself the way I want. Freedom of expression is the most important aspect which...
4 June 2023
Ackim Mulumba
Ackim Mulumba is a member of the Congolese community. This is what freedom means to him: Different people have different interpretations of freedom. For me, freedom is not just the absence of violence. It has a much...
4 June 2023
Fahima Ahmadi
Fahima Ahmadi is a former refugee from Afghanistan. This is what freedom means to her: I was evacuated from Afghanistan in 2021 when the Taliban took control of Kabul, where I’d worked for several non-governmental...
17 May 2023
“Fresh air rejuvenates me.”
I love that I am living in Australia now. I like the warm weather here. Australia is a country where people are free to enjoy their rights. It is peaceful here and I feel I am free. I can do whatever I like. I love the...
17 May 2023
Andrea Rico
Andrea Rico is from Colombia. This is what freedom means to her: I came to Australia three years ago. I like having financial freedom in Australia. I could not believe that I could have my own bank account here. When I...
17 May 2023
“Freedom is respect of our spaces.”
I am a volunteer teacher for newly arrived Ukrainian refugees. I teach them English and equip them with skills and tools so that they start their new life in Australia smoothly. Freedom has a personal significance for...
17 May 2023
Hanan
Hanan is from Jordan/Bosnia. This is what freedom means to her: When I was a refugee, I was treated like an alien and faced racism when I practiced my traditional way of life, even in Australia. Racism exists in every...
17 May 2023
“Living a normal life is my freedom.”
I am a university medical graduate and one have one year experience practicing medicine. Life changed when we started to experience regular bombings in Lviv, the city I lived in. I could not go out and feel safe. We all...
17 May 2023
Fida
Fida is from Afghanistan. This is what freedom means to him. I have lived my life always searching for freedom. It is a concept that has been cherished by humanity for centuries which in its core refers to the ability...
17 May 2023
Elizabeth
Elizabeth is a former refugee from Venezuela. This is what freedom means to her: “I was just 14 when I had to flee from my country, Venezuela, in 2014. I had no freedom there. I came to Australia in 2019, but I...
17 May 2023
Muzafar Ali
Muzafar is a Hazara refugee from Afghanistan. He is a photographer and human rights activist. In December 2022 Muzafar, Refugee Council of Australia and Australian Migrant Resource Centre coordinated a photoshoot...
18 February 2023
Elite
Elite is a former refugee from Democratic Republic of the Congo. This is what freedom means to her: Freedom is the feeling that I am safe. I feel safe in Australia. I can be myself and express myself without facing any...
17 May 2023
