Refugee kids discover Santa with Diversitat

Alex de Vos
Refugee children from Africa and Burma celebrated their first Christmas with a special party in Geelong this week.
Carmel Carroll, of multicultural services provider Diversitat, called the party an “exciting and emotional experience”.
“Some of the kids had never been here for Christmas before and were just blown away by the whole experience,” Ms Carroll said.
“The looks on their faces were priceless.”
Ms Carroll said more than 150 refugee children living in Geelong attended Diversitat’s annual Christmas party.
“Many of the kids have come from war-torn countries and have been reunited with long-lost relatives in Geelong, so it was a pretty special day for them.
“Each child received a gift from Santa that was donated by individuals and local organisations. People have been really generous with the donations and we’re so grateful for their support.”
Ms Carroll said more than 600 refugees lived in Geelong after arrivals increased “significantly” over the past year.
“We’ve got a combination of people from Sudan, Liberia and the Karen community from Burma,” she said.
“Lots of families arrived this year and we’ve got more planned for next year.”
Refugees had set up their own communities in Geelong and were “keen to work and learn English”, Ms Carroll said.