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Love is an open door

Jordan Fennell
Burmese refugees enjoying a meal in a Melbourne church

Cutlery clinks and the aroma of freshly cooked meat wafts through the room as everyone sits down to eat. At the table is seated an Australian family and refugee family. They are sharing a meal, sharing stories, and engaging in each other’s culture. This is how World Vision imagines the ‘Welcome to My Place’ Campaign to unfold during Refugee Week, on June the 15th-21st.

Visier Sanyu is head of the project at World Vision Australia. He says ‘Welcome to My Place’ is a way to cultivate a culture of hospitality among Australians towards refugees and asylum seekers. Originating from a concept called ‘Welcome to Australia’, an idea welcoming new asylum seekers and refugees into Australia, Mr Sanyu narrowed it down to a concept where Australians can invite asylum seekrs into their homes for dinner.

As of December 2012, 45.2 million people globally have been displaced from their homeland, and those numbers are still rising. Australia is ranked 49th in the world on the global ranking system of countries taking in refugees, only having taken in 30,000 people. Noting Australia is a country of wealth and opportunity, Mr Sanyu hopes Australians will open their homes and hearts to people who have suffered persecution and are seeking protection.
The program has struck a chord with Laura Baker, head of the social justice group Catalyst based in Melbourne, who has organised a group to participate in ‘Welcome to My Place’.

“It just sounds like a really good, loving message to be sending out to the Australian population and also the government, but most importantly showing that we do actually love and care for these people,” Ms Baker says.

The idea is for a family connect with a refugee family through an organization, like the Asylum Seeker Resource Center, get to know them, and invite around for a meal. At the core of the concept are the ideas of hospitality, friendship, and sharing experiences together. World Vision plans to have the campaign continue past Refugee Week, hoping relationships will forge between those invited to dinner and those doing the inviting.
The Asylum Seeker Resource center in Melbourne has been providing a community for refugees since 2001. Deanna Nikodijevic, who volunteers at the center praises World Visions’ ‘Welcome to My Place’ as it encouraging communities to get more involved. Though the center has resources such as a food bank set up as a supermarket model, Ms Nikodijevic says the World Vision campaign will also help refugees and asylum seekers get to know people better.

“This is something different and special because you meet up, have a chat over food, and invite people into your home. I think it will benefit refugees and asylum seekers in feeling accepted.”

Mr Sanyu at World Vision hopes this campaign will bring awareness throughout Australia the need for generosity and compassion.
“We can listen to their story, and we journey together and we step into their shoes and they also learn from us, we learn from them and that will be the new Australia,” he says.

Sudanese girl with her new friend. Photo: Alastair Pritchard