The Adelaide community has rallied behind a group of people who flew into Australia from Afghanistan, sending well-wishes and donations of much-needed clothes, food and toys.
Key points:
- A plane carrying 89 people from Afghanistan arrived in Adelaide on Wednesday morning
- Students at Tenison Woods Catholic School have sent welcome notes to the arrivals
- Charity Treasure Boxes has also sent hundreds of boxes of supplies to the people who are in quarantine
A rescue flight carrying 89 people landed in Adelaide in the early hours of Wednesday morning after stopping briefly in Perth to drop off another 48.
Some of the people onboard helped Australian Defence Force and embassy staff in Kabul and have been granted emergency protection visas.
The arrivals are now undertaking two weeks of quarantine, as per Australia’s COVID-19 rules for international travellers, at the Hotel Grand Chancellor in the CBD.
The arrivals have prompted an outpouring of support in the community, including from students at the Tenison Woods Catholic School in Richmond.
Student Amelie, who has just turned seven, approached her teacher Sarah Byrne, suggesting her class should send welcome cards to the new arrivals.
“Amelie said to me ‘Sarah did you hear about the refugees that have arrived from Afghanistan?’ and I said, ‘I did’, and she said ‘I thought it would be a really good idea if we made welcome cards for these people’,” Ms Byrne told ABC Radio Adelaide.
“I choked back the tears and I said, ‘that is exactly what we are going to do’.
Ms Byrne contacted ABC Radio Adelaide’s Breakfast Show with the touching story of her class this morning, along with a request to help source a way to send the cards onto the arrivals.
Host Ali Clarke said producers had contacted SA Health and the cards would be sent on to the people in quarantine.
Ms Byrne said the class spent the day reflecting on how the arrivals from Afghanistan must be feeling.
“We talked about what we were grateful for, and I put it in context for the kids, ‘you go home tonight, your bag’s packed with your teddy and that’s it, that’s all you can take’,” Ms Byrne said.
“We talked about, they’d miss their families, their pets, their homes, and then we talked about how scary it would be and what we could write in the cards.
“Kids wrote about, we have beautiful beaches here and free playgrounds, you’ll be safe here, we hope you’ll be happy here and then we spent the day making cards.”
The students are also sending pencils and textas for the children in quarantine.
Charity donates hundreds of boxes of supplies
Adelaide-based charity Treasure Boxes has been enlisted to donate supplies to the new arrivals.
The not-for-profit organisation provides essential items to babies, children and teens living in disadvantage in the community.
CEO and founder Rikki Cooke said when she was approached to provide items, she didn’t hesitate.
The organisation has so far donated 34 boxes of toys, 102 clothes boxes, shoe boxes and toiletries for babies, kids and teens, boxes of nappies and activity mats, and 30 boxes each of toiletries for men and women.
It has also donated 40 pairs of new pyjamas for teens and adults, donated by Qatar Airways.
Ms Cooke said fortunately the organisation already had the items on hand at their Edwardstown warehouse, but more supplies may be needed to help any further arrivals from Afghanistan.
“The outreach of support has been incredible, our small team has barely been able to keep up,” Ms Cooke said.
“It warms our hearts that people can see just how generous South Australians are. We’re looking forward to continue building our relationship with the Afghan community here in Adelaide, and will still be here to support these families, should they need it, when they leave quarantine.”
Local award-winning restaurant Parwana Afghan Kitchen has also been raising funds for those affected by the events in Afghanistan.
Owner Durkhanai Ayubi said the family-run restaurant had so far raised more than $80,000.
The restaurant is also offering free food to those that arrived in Adelaide from Afghanistan this week.
“We received a call asking if we could provide food for the newly-arrived Afghans and we were obviously only all too happy to contribute to that effort and to make ourselves available any time and any way,” Ms Ayubi said.
“I think it’s really important for the newly-arrived Afghan people that they kind of feel through everything they have gone through that they feel some sort of a connection to familiarity and a sense of safety even if it is only in a very small way.”
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