Australian borders were closed to all non-residents on 20 March 2020 and social distancing rules were imposed on 21 March 2020. The Government was in emergency mode to help those in sudden financial hardship. While financial support was provided to many, international students were not qualified for Government assistance because of their residential status. These international students who are stranded in Australia away from their hometowns, often have lost their casual jobs and are unable to sustain basic living expenses as a result of the pandemic. Upon hearing this and despite being financial constrained ourselves, ACCF offered to help the international students in this challenging time. Accordingly, “The ACCF COVID-19 Emergency Assistance for International Students” was launched on 29 April 2020, at the peak of the pandemic in Australia.
This project was successfully implemented with the support of our partner community organisations:
- Metro Assist,
- The NSW Spanish & Latin American Association for Social Assistance Inc.;
- Uniting Harris Community Centre;
- Counterpoint Multicultural Services;
- Advance Diversity Services; and
- Australian Indian Sports Educational & Cultural Society Inc.
We are pleased to inform our members, donors, sponsors and stakeholders that this meaningful project successfully concluded on 22 May 2020, helping more than 100 international students from around the world. The diversity of the students was especially important to us to show the community spirit of ACCF.
We are also especially thankful to the following generous donors, who gave donations in response to the call for support on this project:
- Way In Network Australia Inc
- Dr Michael T Houang
- Queenie Pan
- Chi Fan Wong
- Ada Wong
As the social distancing rules relax, our lives are slowly returning to normality, it is important to practise good hygiene and follow the new rules for public gatherings, quarantine and isolation.
Thank you all for your support.