JRS Australia’s Employment Program Supports Refugees to Find Meaningful Work in Australia

Read about Tima*, her journey seeking asylum in Australia and how JRS Australia supported her to find community and build financial independence.

Tima loves listening to music and watching movies. From gospel, to reggae, to rock – we can often find her singing along to her favourite tune, or watching nostalgic movies from times with friends and family in Sierra Leone. Last yeat, Tima had to leave everyone behind when she fled alone from Sierra Leone and sought protection in Australia. Tima holds tightly to these connections to home while she builds a new life in Australia.

When Tima first arrived, she had to search for the support she needed to settle in.

“I was referred to JRS from another asylum seeker organisation because they had the services that I was looking for at the time. I was very lucky to have found them because now they feel like family.”

As a participant in our Pathways to Empowerment program, Tima had access to a range of resources including English classes, computer & IT courses, career training, financial literacy, driving lessons, and more. Tima decided to take advantage of the self-empowerment, computer classes and financial literacy courses.

Tima learned key computer skills, and also gained insights about how to save money from her work, so that she could feel self-reliant and provide herself with more security.

“I loved the computer course because it helped me with my job searching. After the course they gifted me a laptop with a 12 month Microsoft subscription that has been very important in applying for new roles and creating my resume. It’s been a life saver.”

Tima is one of 10 women who received a laptop donated to our Technology Bank by Aware Super, an endeavour that was was coordinated by one of our generous volunteers.

The Employment Team at JRS Australia was also a great support for Tima when it came to searching for a job.

This process was made easier with the team sending her job listings that suited her skills, organising driving lessons to enable her to apply for roles which required a license, and acting as referees to speak to her dedication and aptitude for the roles for which she was applying.

“The support from the JRS team has been amazing, Tamana [JRS Australia Employment Program Coordinator] is always willing to recommend me for a role, which made all the difference. It’s one of the reasons why I managed to get my role working in warehousing.”

A key function of the Employment Program involves creating strong partnerships with employers who are willing to invest in hiring refugees, people seeking asylum and women on temporary visas. Tima is now employed with an organisation who has provided 11 of our clients with employment in warehousing; 7 of these being women.

Tima also had great things to say about the broader JRS Australia team.

“I always know that I can call Rose [JRS Australia Casework and Emergency Relief Manager] when I’m feeling down. I let her know when things aren’t going well and she will do her best to support me in any way that she can. The Foodbank goes a long way. They support me with food and toiletries when I need the extra help.”

Tima now feels settled into her life in Australia. She has built an amazing community around her and continues to use her laptop for day-to-day administrative tasks and up-skilling, as well as to watch some of her favourite films from home!

Tima’s story identifies the importance of supporting women to find pathways to empowerment, and the effect this has for overall wellbeing, security, and contributions to the broader community.

Pathways to Empowerment Program

Tima was a parcipant in JRS Australia’s Pathways to Empowerment Project, run through our Employment Program and funded by Women NSW to the end of June 2024. The Project supports women and girls seeking asylum, on temporary visas and with refugee backgrounds, who face barriers to economic empowerment, offering diverse and flexible training and education pathways that build financial independence.

Thanks to the generous support of our community, JRS Australia has been able to offer over 100 women the opportunity to find economic empowerment.

Learn more about our Employment Program here.

*The name of the individual in this story has been changed to protect their anonymity. 

We are always looking for support.

If you would like to learn more about how you can engage with our employment program, and offer support to refugees and people seeking asylum, please visit our Employment Page here.

You may also be in a position to donate a device to our clients. Please see the flyer below to learn how you can help to bridge the digital divide, and contact tamana.mirzada@jrs.org.au to organise your donation.

Donate to JRS Australia

Please follow this link to donate to JRS Australia on a once-off or regular basis. Your generosity enables us to continue our important work in the Employment Program, as well as our other services like the Finding Safety Project, Foodbank, and Casework.