MRC family relationship educator Jago Adongjak speaks at the launch, focusing on the traumas experienced by African refugees.By Sarah Schwager
AN AFRICAN family relationships program has been launched in Dandenong to help the local African community adjust to Australian life.
The program will become a regular service at Dandenong’s South Eastern Region Migrant Resource Centre (MRC) after its launch last Thursday.
Speaking at the launch, Minister for Family and Community Services, Senator Kay Patterson, said the program was an important part of African refugee settlement.
“I have been delighted in the last couple of weeks to launch a number of these types of services,” Ms Patterson said.
She said the focus of the program was to reduce the conflict, anxiety and anguish that existed in some of these migrating families as much as possible.
She said a lot of the people requiring these services were fleeing abuse and torture that Australians could not comprehend and such refugee services were integral in helping them be part of the community.
“I still think we could do better,” she said.
MRC family relationship educator Jago Adongjak said many African refugees coming to Australia had come from war-torn countries, high levels of poverty, lived in refugee camps, had war-related trauma and physical health issues.
He said services such as the African Family Relationships Program were important not only in helping these people settle into the community, but in helping them deal with issues they might face in terms of their relationships.
“We are very pleased to have this funding. We believe it is in safe hands,” he said. “It has been delivered to the right people in the right place at the right time.”
Mr Adongjak said the implications of settlement in other countries for African refugees included disrupted education, long-term unemployment, dependency, family separation, loss of community support and challenges to cultural identity.
“We are very pleased to have this type of program and we thank the Minister for her support,” he said.
Ms Patterson said the integration of refugees into the community was challenging, particularly for parents, whose children would begin to develop Australian values and these sorts of issues needed to be addressed.
“I hope we will face these challenges and be able to deal with them.”
She said refugees from 20 years ago, such as those from Vietnam and Cambodia, are now very involved in the community, and she expected the same would happen with the African community.
