Stories

For Jane and Lisa, volunteering with New Zealand Red Cross has been a journey full of emotions, challenges and friendships. Together, they have helped change the lives of nine former refugee families in Dunedin.

There are many great reasons you should volunteer, but we’ve narrowed these down to the top seven benefits of volunteering to inspire you.

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.

Six months on from the Christchurch mosque attacks, as a nation we continue to grapple with the enormity of what happened.

It’s been just over a year since the first former refugees arrived in Invercargill and Carlos was among them. To many listeners in the south and beyond he’s also known as DJ JC Japon.

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.

Following the Christchurch terror attack, it will be a long journey to rebuild communities where people feel safe again. This World Refugee Day, June 20, New Zealand Red Cross is urging Kiwis to reach out a hand of friendship to former refugees in their communities.

When Mr Mohammadi arrived in New Zealand six years ago he was on his own and had just basic English. Fast forward to 2019 and his perseverance and a passion to change the world has helped him graduate with an honour’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Canterbury.

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.

Abdal and Rebecca have a heart of gold. Recently married, they didn’t want the wedding to be just about themselves, so they came up with a unique idea – a gift registry for former refugees.

New Zealand Red Cross welcomes the Government’s announcement of new refugee settlement locations across Aotearoa.

Thousands of dedicated Kiwis make up our New Zealand Red Cross whānau. Refugee Support Volunteer Naga Gorla, of Wellington, is one of them. He talks about his work with Red Cross.