Sanctuary gives hope to male asylum seekers
Can you imagine what it feels like to be alone, desperate, traumatised and frightened, having lost all hope?
Rahim’s* only chance at a new life was to flee his home country and leave his family and friends behind, to come to a foreign land where he is entitled to nothing.
Rahim was born in Afghanistan into war, terror and poverty. He was subjected to horrific acts of torture. The worst of this was having his mouth forced open and acid poured down his throat, permanently damaging his internal organs.
Fearing for this life, Rahim was forced to flee his home, leaving his wife and two sons behind.
While Rahim has found safety in Australia, as a refugee he has been refused the right to work or access to any government assistance. He is still awaiting his visa application outcome. Nearly every night, Rahim wakes up shivering from the nightmares of having to leave his family behind.
Rahim is very tired. Tired of not being able to lead a normal life, tired of not having the power to change anything. He feels he is excluded from society and is coping with depression.
Going back to Afghanistan is not an option. He will be prosecuted and is at high risk of being physically assaulted for abandoning his country.
He still hasn’t heard from his wife and sons.
Rahim needs our help
Without us, he has no one. We cannot take away his traumas, nor can we replace friends and families lost, but we can give him a home and our friendship.
Today there are over 500 asylum seekers living lawfully in Melbourne with no right to earn an income, no right to Medicare, and no access to any government funded welfare agency. These people are completely reliant on charitable support for their food, housing and medical care.
Baptcare, together with Hotham Mission Asylum Seeker Project and the Brunswick Baptist Church has set up a housing facility called ‘Sanctuary’ that will provide a home to 20 single male asylum seekers who have nowhere else to go.
Sanctuary will offer more than just a place to sleep. Each resident will be assigned a case worker to provide emotional support, pastoral care, and access to community support networks.
This project is the first of its type and size in Australia, but we need your help to get it off the ground.
Baptcare’s wish list to help make Sanctuary a home:
- $35 will buy a set of cotton sheets for the bed of one asylum seeker.
- $49 will buy a kettle to provide something warm to drink during Melbourne’s chilly winter.
- $100 will buy a lock for one room that will offer security and privacy to one asylum seeker.
- $267 will buy a bar fridge for one asylum seeker to store their own food to cook their own meals.
Please give generously so that people like Rahim get the support that they so desperately need. Without us, they have no one.
Please make a donation to this appeal. All donations over $2 are tax deductible.
*Names and details changed to protect privacy. Photo is of a model only.
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