Like many girls their age Othni and Eunice are happiest when reading, drawing and playing with friends at school. But it wasn’t always this way for the girls. Having left Sri Lanka in traumatic circumstances, they landed in Australia with mum, dad and baby sister. With little English or understanding of Australian culture, they found life in their new home in Perth hard.
11-year-old Othni and her little sister, seven-year-old Eunice, have both shown courage and resilience in meeting the challenges of settling in to their new life in Australia. “At first school was difficult. I didn’t know the language, and…it makes you feel embarrassed,” Othni says. Unable to work, the young family also faced financial difficulties, struggling to feed the growing girls.
Kazim helped in getting new clothes for us for school. He has given us things like food…. and given us the courage to help make our family live happier
Kazim, a Family Support Specialist for 54 reasons based in Perth's south-east, and has been assisting Othni and Eunice and their family. He is clear on how critical the program can be in transforming the lives of young people. “All children have a right to quality education” he says. “At the end of the day, we're trying to help the child, who is our main focus…to get that quality education that they're entitled to.”
Othni explains that Kazim, “helped in getting new clothes for us for school. He has given us things like food…. and given us the courage to help make our family live happier.” Kazim says, "the best thing I love about this work, is you can see you can help someone…especially the children. The life of the family has changed and they're ready to stand on their feet…you see them happy, and that makes me happy."
54 reasons acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the Traditional Owners and custodians of the land on which we work, and their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their lore, and to their Elders past, present and emerging.
54 reasons is a proudly inclusive organisation and an ally of the LGBTIQ+ community.
