Young Afghan children who have left their country to live in Victoria will be greeted with care packages from CFA and other organisations.
The packages were the initiative of Victoria Police’s Southern Metro Region Multicultural Liaison Unit to help those recently arriving in the country following recent turbulence in Afghanistan.
CFA’s Cultural Engagement Officer for the South East Region, Nada El-Masri, said it was a welcome opportunity to help put some smiles on the faces of children going through difficult times.
“We’ve had some newly arrived people from Afghanistan arrive recently with families and kids among them, and they’ve all been through a lot of trauma.
“VicPol reached out to us to see if we could help put some packs together to help break that barrier to help them feel welcome.
Along with items from CFA and VicPol, the packs also include goodies that have been provided by FRV, VICSES, AFP, the Blue Ribbon Foundation, and the Dandenong & District Aborigines Co-Operative Ltd.
“There are so many goodies in the bags,” said Ms El-Masri.
“They include colouring books and pencil, school bags, some FRV activity books, and water bottles.
“There will also be some CFA plush teddies and other soft toys like the VicPol Labrador and SES Platypus for the kids as well, among many other goodies.”
The packages started being sent to incoming Afghan children over the weekend.