It’s important to celebrate the contributions refugees make to our society both as CFA members and members of the wider community.
Sheik Sulaiman, Nada El-Masri and Ahmad Jahfar
Refugee Week runs from 14 – 20 June and CFA will be celebrating online due to the current COVID-19 restrictions.
Although we can’t celebrate in person this year, the official refugee website has a number of different ways to get involved online.
Individuals can:
- Host a Share a Meal, Share a Story event
- Become a Refugee Week Amplifier
- Host a Refugee Week event online or in-person
This year’s theme is ‘Celebrating the Year of Welcome’ providing an opportunity for people to connect with refugees in Australia.
Nada El-Masri, CFA’s Cultural and Diversity Engagement Officer for South East Region, said it’s important to celebrate this week.
“The challenges COVID-19 has brought upon us is stressing, however, we can’t allow this run-away speed train to affect what we do in and for our communities.
“Refugee Week is an important acknowledgement to reflect their stories of survival, how they integrated into the Australian society and what they have to offer.
“It is very clear that the opportunities they have provided for us, and what we can learn from them, helps us work more effectively.
“It’s all about starting the conversation and keeping it going. This is what CFA is all about – inclusion and accepting and working alongside diversity.”
Sheik Sulaiman is a firefighter at the Noble Park Fire Brigade and came to Australia as a refugee.
“I was born in Sri Lanka and came to Australia for a better life for myself,” he said.
“I joined CFA in April 2016 because I wanted to give back to this country because it saved my life. Being part of CFA is extremely rewarding and has given me many opportunities to give back to the community.”
