After leaving their home in Venezuela, Luisana and Ana spent five years in Peru waiting for their new lives to begin. As refugees in a same-sex relationship and without the protection of citizenship, they feared for their safety.
Then the messages from Australia started to arrive. Approved for resettlement here, the couple were matched with volunteers from a community group in Melbourne called Rosie’s Welcome.
Among the nearly 1,000 people resettled in Australia as part of the Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Program (Crisp), Lusiana and Ana quickly found safety and a sense of community.
“Sometimes when I compare my journey with other refugee friends, our journeys are totally different,” Ana said.
“When you have community support, you feel you have family. You feel you have help if you need it in some moments.
“It has changed some lives.”
Before they arrived in Australia, volunteers had organised accommodation, food, essentials including sim cards and were ready to provide social support and friendship. Both women have studied for cybersecurity jobs at Tafe.
After a four-year pilot, the Albanese government has made the program permanent, to be delivered by the non-profit Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia. After screening by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, arrivals are settled with support from almost 200 informal groups around the country.