Bellingen will soon be offering a home, and a future, to a family from Africa. Elizabeth Balibonera and her five children - Jeannine (13), John(12), Jeannette(10), Jacqueline(7) and Gentille(4) - will be arriving here next month, having spent the last few years in the Dadaab Camp in the desert country of north-eastern Kenya, currently home to more than 200,000 refugees. Elizabeth, with her family, escaped from the war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo, having lost her husband and suffered personal trauma hard for us to imagine. They are the most desperately deserving of the deserving, with no possibility of ever returning to the land of their birth. Of a total intake of more than 190,000 migrants into Australia expected for 2008/09, only 11,500 will enter on the refugee and special humanitarian quotas. Of these, around 3,000 will be from Africa.
The Bellingen family has been granted refugee status by the UNHCR, and an Australian visa. Their travel here, and settlement, is being sponsored by the Sanctuary Refugee Foundation (SRF). The SRF is a non-profit, community-based organisation, based in Coffs Harbour, and dedicated to providing a safe home in Australia for the most urgent cases of need. It operates independently of government funding. Hundreds have found a secure future as a result of their efforts – many in regional centres. Two families from Africa have, for example, been settled by the SRF in Dorrigo, where the community has gone out of it's way to make them at home. Information on the SRF is available on their website www.sanctuaryrefugeefoundation.org.
A local committee is working hard to prepare for Elizabeth's arrival in Bellingen. Household furniture and equipment is not so much of a problem, as the government provides a basic kit. However, there are many extra things that would be invaluable, and the committee has already received some generous donations. Finding rental accommodation is the hardest task, especially in our current economic circumstances. Any suggestions or offers will be warmly welcomed! We would also like to hear from anyone who speaks conversational French, and can assist with any communication problems, although we believe that Elizabeth and the children may speak some English. The committee can be contacted through Richard Jordan or Roz Hemsley on 6655 9456 or richardandroz@wirefree.net.au.
I am sure that everyone will welcome Elizabeth and her family to Bellingen. A friendly greeting and a smile would go a long way to easing their transition into our community!