Aireys Inlet refugee group ends long-running Afghan aid program

AIREYS Inlet Rural Australians for Refugees (AIRAR) has announced it will conclude its Aid for Afghans financial support program after four years of assisting families living under threat from the Taliban.

Group member Rosita Vila said the program, which has been supporting five Afghan families, has fulfilled its purpose and there was “no longer a need to continue financial support”.

“We can report that generous contributions have enabled families to stay safe and build new lives under continued terrible circumstances.

“The families have expressed gratitude for the support that has enabled them to survive.”

Two AIRAR members, Ms Vila said, will maintain contact with the families to provide personal support.

The Aid for Afghans fund was launched in 2021 to support families at significant risk of persecution as a result of their faith, ethnicity or former occupations such as advocates, teachers and journalists.

With the support of the program, one man, named Ahmad, was able to purchase a shop that now provides living expenses for his extended family.

Another woman, Amina, and her family were able to resettle in Germany. Amina is now studying English as she looks for employment.

“It is good to be reminded that hands can stretch across the world to help those in dire need as a consequence of war,” Ms Vila said. “Hope and support [are] vital.”

Although AIRAR’s financial commitment has ended, its Apollo Bay counterpart – the Apollo Bay Rural Australians for Refugees (Apollo Bay RAR) – continues to support seven Afghan families with funds for basic living costs and to organise visas and travel fares.

Five are presently in hiding within Afghanistan. One has found some safety in Iran, and another is hiding in Pakistan.

“AIRAR is grateful for the support provided by its community, which has helped change lives, and encourages financial support for Apollo Bay RAR’s assistance to Afghan families,” Ms Vila said.

Apollo Bay RAR has successfully supported two families to escape Afghanistan – a high court judge and his family, who now live in Germany, and the family of an agricultural scientists, who have made their way to Australia.

Last year, AIRAR celebrated its 10th anniversary. The group, which has an active membership of about 40 members, maintains a wide range of programs and fundraising activities to support refugees and asylum seekers living both in Australia and abroad.

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