Settlement organisations in NSW welcome the Federal Government’s announcement today that an additional 12,000 refugees from Syria will be settled in Australia and that $44 million in additional financial aid will be provided to help deal with the crisis.

Settlement organisations in NSW welcome the Federal Government’s announcement today that an additional 12,000 refugees from Syria will be settled in Australia and that $44 million in additional financial aid will be provided to help deal with the crisis.

The Settlement Council of Australia* (SCOA) welcomes the Government’s announcement to increase Australia’s humanitarian intake by an additional 12,000 permanent places for Syrian and Iraqi refugees.

The Settlement Council of Australia* (SCOA) supports the call for an urgent action to increase the refugee resettlement numbers in Australia in response to the growing global humanitarian crisis with millions displaced from their homes fleeing the conflict in Syria. The settlement sector in Australia are world leaders in assisting and welcoming newly arrived refugees and are well positioned to support an increase in Australia’s refugee intake.

The world is facing many challenges as unprecedented numbers of people flee their homes in search of somewhere safe to settle: how we treat fellow human beings should be a top priority.

Welcome to the SSI Food Blog. Whether they are SSI employees, volunteers, refugees or people seeking asylum, the people featured here all share a love of food. One of the many benefits of multiculturalism is delicious food, so let’s enjoy!

Multi-talented visual artist and musician Babak, from Iran, will collaborate with Ethernet Orchestra, led by musician and researcher Dr Roger Mills, for a series of special performances at the Parramatta Lanes Festival 2015. Babak came to Australia as a refugee and he receives support from SSI’s Humanitarian Services Program.  

The CEOs of SSI, Connect Child and Family Services and Refuge of Hope on August 31 signed a Memorandum of Understanding in relation to the Community Hubs in NSW. From January 1 next year SSI will be the NSW Support Agency under the National Community Hubs Program.

The world is facing many challenges as unprecedented numbers of people flee their homes in search of somewhere safe to settle: how we treat fellow human beings should be a top priority.

Essa Khan, 45, from Pakistan is seeking protection as a refugee in Australia but on Tuesday, August 18, he rubbed shoulders with Australian Government and opposition politicians at Parliament House. 

Settlement Services International (SSI) case worker Nedhal Amir has been recognised as a finalist in the 2015 Migration and Settlement Awards for her ongoing commitment to supporting new migrants and refugees living in Australia.

SSI welcomed the Sticky Beak Tour, an initiative of the Inner West Child & Family Interagency, to its head office in Ashfield this week. The tour was part of an initiative to promote interaction and professional exchange between community services providers located in Sydney’s Inner West. 

They say home is where the heart is, and for people seeking asylum in Australia this can be a difficult question to answer. For most of them, ‘home’ oscillates between the memories of the homeland they left behind and of a new place that is unknown but filled with hope.

A week with Dr Ernesto Sirolli has enhanced the knowledge and skills of SSI staff, bilingual guides, and current entrepreneurs working with the Ignite Small Business Start-ups (Ignite) initiative who all undertook  Enterprise Facilitation training.

Migrants from Western Europe who arrived in the "50s and "60s in Australia were seen with hostility and suspicion by many in the local community. These are now well-settled communities but as new comers, they struggled to fit in. 

Sefullah is from the Iranian village of Palk Lak of Arkvazi, in the Illam Province, where he lived before making his journey to Australia. Sefullah is a self-taught artist, who researches different styles of painting and schools of thought. 

Mohammed is a multi-disciplinary artist working in the areas of photography, performance and graphic design.  Mohammed lived in Iraq where he obtained a degree in theatre performance from Basra's College of Arts. In Baghdad, he had his own studio and appeared in a number of productions and radio plays.

Mohanad was born in Nasiriyah, Iraq. He started painting when he was six as he was encouraged by his grandfather, who bought painting material for him. After graduating from the Arts & Carving Institute in Iraq, Mohanad moved to Syria where he kept painting, drawing and showing his works in several exhibitions.

Mahdi, who was born in Iran, has a passion for calligraphy, creative writing and painting. After finishing school, Mahdi began painting and decorating city walls in Iran where he enjoyed turning dull city walls into colourful and bright themes.

Hayder completed a BA in Fine Arts at the University of Baghdad, in his native Iraq, in 2008. From 2009 to 2011, he worked as an art teacher with the Ministry of Education of Iraq.