Refugee voices: Shaibu’s story

For Shaibu the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) was the place to find his community. Forced to leave Ghana after a violent attack based on his political views, he arrived in Australia in 2007. Living out of a car, Shaibu faced every day feeling unsafe.

It took him over three years to discover the ASRC but once he did, he found the support he needed to take control and build his new life. The ASRC helped him with access to food and materials like blankets, more than that they helped find hope and community.

But Shaibu always saw others as needing more support than him, he considered himself luckier than most people seeking asylum. So he came back to the ASRC as a volunteer in Foodbank, helping to feed 600 families a week.

His time as a volunteer cemented his drive to continue giving back. Shaibu recently started a diploma in community development and his life is now taking shape, finally becoming an Australian citizen in 2014.

Shaibu’s story is becoming more rare due to the government’s ruthless refugee determination process, which is affecting 24,500 people seeking asylum in our community, right now.

Take a stand for people who deserve better – please donate to our Winter Appeal. Every donation helps to make each person feel safe, warm and valued.

The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre is a Home of Hope for more than 3,200 people seeking safety in Australia, each year. Proudly independent, it serves as a place and a movement of communities and voices who strive to uphold the rights of people seeking asylum.

Stories like this are only possible because of our community of compassion who champion positive change for people seeking asylum and refugees.

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