Refugee medico reclaims his career

Iraqi refugee doctor and former AMES client Dr Asseel Yako has realised a four year dream of being able to resume his career as a specialist physician in Australia after fleeing the conflict in his homeland.

Dr Yako has been recognised by the Royal Australasian College of Physicians after spending two years training at Warragul Hospital in Gippsland.

He is currently a senior registrar at Warragul Hospital but when he renews his registration at the end of the year, he will become a consultant physician.

Dr Yako is one of the few refugee doctors to gain recognition as a specialist in Australia although many have managed to become registered as GPs.

“It feels great. I want to thank everyone who has helped me along the way. It wasn’t easy but it’s been very rewarding. It’s an awesome feeling,” Dr Yako said.

“When I was trying to do this, many people told me I couldn’t do it,” he said.

Dr Yako said he would take some time to consider his future 

He was working as doctor in Iraq during when the conflict there broke out.

His daily work was tending to battlefield wounds suffered by soldiers or militia members fighting ISIS or patching up women children horrifically injured in explosions of gunfire.

He studied and worked as a doctor for almost twenty years but struggled to be able to resume his career after arriving in Australia in February 2017.

AMEP classes making a difference in Mildura

Free language classes are proving to be a critical factor in migrants successfully settling in Mildura, finding work and becoming part of the local community.

The local Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) has seen more than 60 migrant and refugee graduates go on to gain employment in the Sunraysia region in recent months.

Deliver by migrant and refugee settlement agency AMES Australia, the AMEP courses teach English in the context of finding employment and navigating a new society.

They are aimed at equipping people to not only find work but also to help them settle into the community, access services, develop a sense of belonging and understand more about life in Australia.

Classes are available on weekends and evening so newly arrived migrants and refugees can continue to improve their English while also holding down jobs.

Integrated into AMES Australia’s AMEP program is a new series of podcasts in multiple languages that are supporting new migrants to settle in Mildura by informing them about life in regional Australia and local customs, services and xxx as well as providing practical advice on navigating life in Australia.

The podcasts are available in Dari, Burmese, Karen and Haka Chin, with more languages being developed.

AMEP graduate and Thai migrant Kunnika Powell landed her first job in Australia after studying a language course through the AMEP program.

She is a full time pastoral care worker with Sunraysia Mallee Ethnic Communities Council and her work is to support seasonal workers from overseas who are working in the Mildura area.

“The AMEP course was very helpful to me. It helped me improve my English and taught me about Australian culture and everything to do with life in Australia,” said Kunnika, who has been in Australia just two years.

“AMEP also helped me to find work and I would recommend it to anyone beginning a new life in Australia,” she said.

“I love my work supporting seasonal workers who come from all over Asia. I speak Thai, Cambodian and Lao and I love to talk to people and help communities to be strong and to build happy lives in Australia,” Kunnika said.

Chadia Makumi, a refugee from Burundi, found a pathway to further education and employment through the AMEP program in Mildura.

Chadia completed a Diploma of Community Services after studying English through the AMEP. She recently started a job as a youth worker.

“The AMEP course helped me improve my English and build my confidence. It also led me to study for a diploma in community services,” Chadia said.

“Now I am working as a youth worker, a job I love because it means I can help young people find pathways to build successful lives – just like did,” she said.

Parenting course supporting refugee families

A parenting program for newly arrived Chin community refugees was delivered recently as part of partnership between AMES Australia and Spectrum Migrant Resource Centre.

The Parenting in a New Culture (PINC) program saw 12 parents from the Chin community take part is six two hour sessions over zoom exploring topics such childhood development, understanding and navigating a new society, the legal and education systems and child protection.

The program also covered family stress and the health service.

Spectrum Group Facilitator Amona Hassab said a feature of the program was reinforcing the idea that new communities do not have to compromise their values and traditions to integrate into a new society.

“We encourage parents to pass on their values and traditions to their children and to continue to be who they are,” Amona said.

The program was co-facilitated by AMES Australia orientation guide Aye Min and AMES Footscray Client Support Worker Mercy Lian Bawi Hrin helped to recruit for the program and supported the HSP clients to attend and engage with zoom platform.

The PINC began in 2002 to support an influx of refugees from East Africa, Liberia and the Congo.

Since then it has undergone several iterations to adapt it to new cohorts of arriving refugees.