Stories

Ubah is a young woman from a refugee background who has creative dreams. She’s gaining useful skills with help from New Zealand Red Cross and a generous member of her community.

Talented Kiwi artist Tiffany Singh is offering Dunedin a unique opportunity to support former refugees in exchange for a piece of artwork.

Thanks to the generosity of local community group MenzShed Kapiti, some former refugee families have the tools to tend their gardens and feel a little more at home.

It’s been two months since Hassan made Christchurch home. With a helping hand from his Refugee Support Volunteer, he’s already started taking English classes, got his Learner driver’s licence and is looking to join a Kiwi football team.

Fadwa Alkak is a teacher, a sister, a sewer and a Kiwi. Stitch by stitch, she is creating a new life in New Zealand.

As Invercargill celebrates one year since the city first welcomed former refugees under the quota, we met some of the newcomers to find out how they’re getting on in Southland.

New Zealand Red Cross Refugee Support Volunteers Bob, Frances and Emma worked late into the night to turn a house into a home for a former refugee family arriving in New Zealand.

Red Cross nurse Fiona Blair shares some of her experiences spending Christmas working in Bangladesh at the Red Cross Red Crescent field hospital caring for people living in the world's biggest camp.

The factory floor of St Michel is noisy with the sounds of drilling, hammering, and humming engines filling the air. On the left of the large room are Solomon Teweldebrhan and Maung Shwe, both studiously working on the half-made cabinets sitting on their benches.

The Andrews Property Services (APS) site in Auckland is buzzing with activity as staff ready themselves for the day. In the middle of it all are Areef and Omar Areef. The Palestinian brothers catch a couple of harnesses thrown their way and their colleagues cheer them on as they gear up for the task at hand. 

It's Wednesday night and a nondescript building down one of Hamilton’s back streets is humming with activity. Around 30 people wait patiently as eight women stand behind a counter filled with platters of steaming hot food. Welcome to The Serve, a charitable trust in Hamilton that serves meals to low-income households in the community.

Nubia is one of three women attending a workshop at the Wellington Sewing Centre today. Hajar Mazraeh, Nubia Bedoya, and Muna Al Nasar are all former refugees who are being employed by a new social enterprise called Needs More Cushions.