Studying by candlelight in the bowels of an ancient convent as a bloody civil war raged around her, Jamila Alarkan stuck doggedly to her dream of becoming an engineer.

The Syrian refugee endured the effects of war, sickness and physical injury to pursue an education and the chance of a bright future.

Afghan refugee Mirwais Janbaz vividly remembers his first brush with death.

As a seven-year-old he was sent by his family to buy bread at a shop just 100 metres from his home.

In just a matter of weeks, Australia’s population will reach 25 million; a milestone that has come around much quicker than expected.

Twenty years ago, there were estimates that our population wouldn’t hit the 25 million mark until 2041.

An Afghan refugees brought up in a society that denied education to women has won a prestigious scholarship to Oxford University.

Sitarah Mohammadi was eight years old when she first learnt to read and write. As a child, she was told that girls and women didn’t need an education.

Newly arrived refugees overwhelmingly find Australia a safe and welcoming place that is relatively free from racism, a new survey has found.

Getting stable work and seeing their children educated and prosper are the priorities for most refugees; and safety and security as well as lifestyle and leisure opportunities are the things they most appreciate about Australia.

Wafaa Fhaid’s family are refugees three times over.

As Iraqi-Palestinians, they have been forced to flee their homes three times in the past half-decade as conflict after conflict has plagued the Middle East.

Forced to leave her home in Iraq in 2007 after violence against Palestinians flared in the aftermath of the fall of Saddam Hussein, she and her family found temporary refuge in Syria.