Australian League of Immigration Volunteers (ALIV) was established at Villawood Detention Centre in 2002 with the aim of increasing the quality of life for children in immigration detention centres. While there are a number of refugee activist groups protesting and lobbying for change on the outside, the need to get inside and support children in detention is paramount. ALIV has no opinion in regard to the politics or debate regarding refugees and detention centres. As a non-political volunteer group, ALIV has been able to work closely with the Department of Immigration, Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA) to gain unprecedented access to the children, and bring important changes to their daily lives.
|
Detention centres can be a socially isolating and difficult environment for children. Run entirely by volunteers, ALIV's primary goal is to make life as enjoyable as possible for children and families while they are held in detention centres. ALIV has volunteers working in both Villawood and Baxter Detention Centres running play programs and organizing fortnightly excursions as well as family days and camps. ALIV's four main areas of focus have been: taking kids on fortnightly excursions, on camps during school holidays and families out on Family Days as well as running a kids room (The Rainbow Room) in the centres modeled after the Starlight rooms currently inside Australian hospitals.
|
ALIV is seeking donations that will assist with the funding of planned projects in the coming twelve months, including the refurbishment of a multicultural library, an increased number of camps and excursions, new games, toys and equipment for the Rainbow Rooms and the development of a more comprehensive activity program in Baxter, South Australia. This valuable work will have an immediate positive impact on the lives of refugee children living in Australian detention centres.
To date, ALIV has relied solely on the generous donation of volunteer time, the willingness of local businesses to support activity undertaken by ALIV through providing access to resources (transport, reduced/free entry fees etc) and volunteers themselves to offset their own expenses (ticket prices when on excursions etc).
|
The conditions that have brought children and their families to Australia seeking asylum are often traumatic, whilst the unique pressures associated with detention and the indefinite wait for visa decisions brings their own stress to families.
In the period between 1 July 1999 and 30 June 2003, 2184 children arrived in Australia without a valid visa and applied for asylum. All these children were detained on arrival in the Department's immigration detention centres and 92.8 per cent of them were eventually recognised as refugees. As at 26 December 2003, there were 111 children in detention in Australia and the average length of detention had increased to one year, eight months and 11 days (source: DIMIA, Response to Second Draft Report, Jan 04).
ALIV's programs provide a much needed distraction for the children in detention, support and time off for parents and a chance for kids to be kids.
|
ALIV is a registered charity, all donations over $2 are tax deductible.
Donations may be forwarded by cheque to the address at the top of the page
|
Attached Documents:
|
|
|
