Syrian refugee Marian Georges and her family have found safety and a new life in Melbourne after suffering through years of conflict, trauma, discrimination and uncertainty.
Forced to flee their home and their lives in the Syrian city of Aleppo in 2017, the family found small comfort as exiled refugees in Lebanon. They suffered acts of violence and exploitation by employers; and with a disabled daughter and husband suffering from Alzheimer's disease, they were near destitution.
Now living in Melbourne's north suburbs and with the support of AMES Australia, Mariam has secured NDIS support for her husband and daughter, her two other children are on educational pathways and she is improving her English and preparing to find a job.
The Georges family fled the violence in Aleppo that almost completely destroyed one of the oldest cities on Earth I 2017. The fighting between the Syrian government and the rebels in the city had a devastating impact on the lives of many ordinary people.
Mariam left behind a promising career as an aged care community house manager.
“We had a good life in Aleppo before the war, we had everything we needed. But the war turned everything upside down. My son was urged to carry a gun by some of the local groups - but I resisted that.
“After war started, life and everything we knew changed. There were acts of terror, there was religious discrimination and people were being killed for no reason," Mariam said.
They family arrived in Lebanon scared and uncertain about their future. Marian was worried about how they would live with no money few work opportunities.
“When we arrived we were very exhausted because of our experiences in Syria and then in Lebanon. We faced discrimination and we had very poor housing – just a tiny house – because things were so expensive," Marian said.
After their arrival, Mariam's son George was attacked and badly beaten but the family did not have the money needed for proper medical treatment.
Mariam, George and her other daughter Ann had to work hard to afford a tiny, one-bedroom flat.
After spending 19 months in Lebanon, Mariam and the family came to Australia as refugees one year ago under the Humanitarian Settlement Program (HSP) funded by the federal government's Department of Social Services.
Since arriving in Australia Mariam and her family have been supported by AMES Case Manager Andrea Del Pilar Suarez and Work Broker Faten Abdelaal.
They have all undergone comprehensive health assessments, they have been supported to obtain affordable long term housing and they have completed a program to orient them to Australian society and life in Melbourne
The family have been supported to access services for Marian's husband Gabriel and daughter Margaret, who has an intellectual disability.
“We arrived here with the idea that our kids would now have a future and a new life. Our first house had big windows and had sunlight coming it. It was wonderful," Marian said.
“After we arrived our AMES case managers Andrea and Faten supported us and showed us great empathy," she said.
“They understood our situation and supported us with everything we needed. They helped me step by step to reorient myself and start to be independent," Marian said.
“Now that I am comfortable that my husband and daughter have some support and also some independence, I want to do something myself. I want to improve my English and find a job," Marian said.
She has been referred to a training centre that is helping her with English and ultimately she will enrol in an aged care course.
“I want to pay back this country for the opportunities and the safety that my children now have and I want to be a good citizen and contribute," Mariam said.
She has also started volunteering with an Arabic organisation supporting vulnerable women.
“Andrea and Faten have supported me to find a pathway for my future. I consider them friends and family because they are the first people I met in Australia," Mariam said.
“Because of the support of AMES and the Australian government, I now feel my family and I have a future," she said.
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