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24-May-2010_09-41-32_2010WRDayposterA_ENG

World Refugee Day 2010

World Refugee Day provides an opportunity to reflect and acknowledge the courage, resilience and strength of refugees. Global attention is focused not only on the plight of refugees and causes of their exile but also on their determination and the contribution they make to their host communities.    The global theme for World Refugee Day in 2010 is “Home.”   Through the simple statement, “They took my home but they can’t take my future,” UNHCR is highlighting the plight of refugees worldwide and recognizing their courage and resilience.  Are you interested in more information?  Visit the UNHCR  website 

       Your chance to make a world of difference

Refugee Services AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND is urgently looking for Volunteer Support Workers to assist new refugee families arriving in Lower Hutt and Porirua in October (in particular) and in December 2010. 

 

If you enjoy meeting people from other cultures and have the time to spend with a refugee(s) to assist them to rebuild their lives in your community, this could be a unique opportunity for you!      

 

Comprehensive (free) training is given.  NZQA approved courses are held regularly in all our resettlement areas, from Auckland to Christchurch. The next course for the Greater Wellington region will be held in  September. Go to our "How you can help" section for dates and locations of all courses planned in your area in 2010. If you can help, then  please email or call the designated contact person in your area.

 

For the Greater Wellington Area, the contact for Porirua is Jay Edwin on 237 7315 or email Jay , and for the Hutt phone Amy Dawson on 566 9353 or email Amy

 

 Volunteering (Volunteer Support Workers)

Trained community volunteers are key participants in the successful settlement of refugees. In liaison with the professional staff of Refugee Services, they help provide practical support and establish community linkages during the initial months of resettlement. Read or download brochure here  and for further information go to our "How You Can Help" section.

"I would recommend this volunteer programme to anyone who is interested in making a difference. It is a life-changing and humbling journey that empowers people to step outside their comfort zones. It is the small acts we make in our daily lives that create a massive shift in the world." Volunteer...Auckland. 

Refugee Services is Aotearoa-New Zealand's principal refugee resettlement agency (formerly known as RMS Refugee Resettlement).

We are a not-for-profit, non-government organisation committed to supporting the successful resettlement of former refugees within a welcoming and inclusive society.

Since our beginnings in 1976, our staff, including social workers, cross cultural workers, local coordinators and administrators, as well as our valued volunteer support workers, have assisted more than 40,000 refugees to settle and build new futures here in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Former refugees can now be found in every walk of life, making a wonderful contribution to the social, cultural and economic fabric of our increasingly multicultural society.

Newspaper and Globe

In Memory

August 2010

With regret we recognise the recent passing of Shirley Dearsly.

Shirley was a woman full of energy and vitality with an incredibly busy life but she somehow found the time to help as a volunteer for Refugee Services, firstly as a trained Volunteer Support Worker and then latterly as an organiser for donated household items through her extensive networks.

Shirley devoted much of her time ensuring the new refugee families had all the comforts of home when they arrived in Porirua and kept in close contact with all “her families” as they became her friends.

Refugee Services will sorely miss Shirley’s unfailing generosity and her zest for life and we thank her for all her volunteer time devoted to Refugee Services and our families