Volunteering with refugees: The sound of 350 happy, energetic children!
To hear about the success of her recent trip to Kuala Lumpur, WRS volunteer Kaye cameron interviewed fellow volunteer, Tara barmby.
Many people from Melbourne (and around the world) have volunteered with the refugees who are living precarious lives in Kuala Lumpur whilst hoping for resettlement to a third country like Australia, the USA or maybe even Japan.
You may have read Tara’s story of volunteering in KL when she had only been there for 3 weeks. I caught up with Tara again for her impressions after volunteering for 3+ months
Kaye: As your time in KL comes to an end what will be your best memory?
Tara: Each lunch-time at the ACR school, there is a period of about one hour where 350 students are outside the school passing through, either leaving to go home, or arriving to start their lessons. The small street in KL is filled with laughter and energy.
Kaye: What is your favourite Malaysian food?
Tara: Roti Canai (An Indian flatbread dish. Malaysia is a ‘melting pot’ of cuisines)
Kaye: What advice would you give to others volunteering with WRS?
Tara: Whether you have experience working with refugee communities or not does not matter, you'd just need to bring an open heart & mind.
Kaye: What have you learnt about the refugee experience that you didn't know before? (Before travelling Tara had worked extensively with refugees from Myanmar here in Melbourne)
Tara: I've learnt a lot volunteering in the Alliance of Chin Refugees (ACR)* office regarding the practical processes with UNHCR and other relevant departments that one needs to undertake to be considered for resettlement to a third country.
*ACR is a support agency for Chin refugees from Myanmar. It’s mandate is to assist with the legal, educational, health and resettlement issues faced by their members.
Kaye: What has been the most challenging part of your volunteer work?
Tara: Being alone periodically has definitely been challenging!
Kaye: If you were to volunteer again, what would you focus on?
Tara: I'd like to focus on the diverse range of refugee communities living in Malaysia, there are smaller communities from Afghanistan and Somalia, also running their own unofficial schools.
Click here to help us continue our work by giving the gift of education this Christmas. For anyone interested in volunteering you can also contact us. Teachers are very much in demand, but we welcome other professionals to apply to volunteer.