As we prepare for Easter, we think not only about the death and sacrifice of Jesus Christ but also His resurrection... new life.
New life. That is exactly the gift you give to asylum seekers like Nilmini* and her husband Jegan*.
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After we met CatholicCare, we were gaining hope. We can dream. When one door was closed, because of CatholicCare now many doors are open.”
Nilmini
Asylum seeker
With rent and the cost of living continuing to increase, your kind support is more important than ever. This Easter, please donate to provide new life to refugees and asylum seekers in need.
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Nilmini and Jegan's story
Nilmini and Jegan were forced to leave their home and family in Sri Lanka due to religious persecution. After initially fleeing to the Middle East, they made their way to Australia.
They applied for an asylum seeker visa in late 2019 and found employment to begin their new life in Victoria.
Then COVID-19 hit and both Nilmini and Jegan – like so many – lost their jobs.
No longer able to afford their rent, they applied for a cheap rental property online. They would soon learn, to their horror, that they had entered into a fake lease agreement. One morning, they were forced to vacate their home.
“We couldn’t take anything with us, other than things we were wearing. So when we were leaving, I was typing in my phone whom to contact, because we don’t have a shelter... I was just typing ‘homeless’ support.”
When I contacted CatholicCare, a woman named Joyce answered the phone, and I told her what has happened. She told me about some food programs we could access. And then she called me back and said ‘There is a place we can provide for you to stay, would you like to go?’ At that time, we were thinking an angel has come!"
Nilmini
Asylum seeker
CatholicCare Victoria helped Nilmini and Jegan get set up in their new home and provided six months of full financial support including rent, bills and food vouchers through our Asylum Seeker Support Program.
“CatholicCare were taking care of us until we established our lives. Even after the six months, we only had to pay half of the rent, and they gave the option to pay step by step,” says Nilmini.
Our Asylum Seeker Support Program team also helped Nilmini and Jegan to find training and employment, to get their lives back on track.
“I am very happy. I can be very happy because now I feel like I’m financially stable.”
The next step for Nilmini and Jegan is to obtain a permanent residency visa. Nilmini then hopes to apply for a course in Nursing to further her career and better support residents in Aged Care.
Give a gift today
Your gift today will be used to support programs like:
Asylum Seeker Support
Providing safety, security and a sense of place, through collaboration with parishes.
Learn more
Geelong Settle Well
Re-settlement support for refugee youth & mothers in the Geelong region.
Learn more
Settlement Engagement & Transition Support
Empowering all migrants and refugees to settle well.
Learn more
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*At CatholicCare Victoria, we respect everyone who comes to us for help and many are working towards a fresh start in life. While the stories and quotes are true, names and images have been changed to protect their privacy.