By Alesha Capone
Werribee resident Naw Jacqueline Aungminn says she loves volunteering to help others, especially youth and senior citizens.
Ms Aungminn, who was born in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, came to Australia as a refugee about six years ago.
She is well-known within the international Karen community for her work at the Mae La refugee camp in Thailand.
Ms Aungminn said she did not like talking about her past, but that she had a “hard life” in Myanmar from early 1977 to December, 1989.
She recalls learning how to avoid landmines and how to escape from the military.
“Most people don’t want to be a refugee, we never dreamed about it – but when an unexpected situation arises, you become a refugee,” she said.
Ms Aungminn arrived in the Mae La refugee camp during January, 1990 and lived in a tent with her family, moving 19 times over the next 25 years.
But this did not stop Ms Aungminn, a qualified teacher, from helping others.
She enlisted as a Medicine San Frontiers volunteer and worked along the Thai-Burma border, engaging the community on the topic of malaria elimination on behalf of the Shoklo Malaria Research Unit.
Ms Aungminn and a friend later founded the Karen HIV/AIDS Education Working Group, to raise awareness about the illness among people living in the Mae La camp.
In 2005, Ms Aungminn began working as a HIV/AIDS program officer in the Mae La, Umpiem and Nupoe refugee camps, a role she held for 10 years before coming to Australia.
Since arriving in Australia, Ms Aungminn has completed a Settlement Language Pathway to Employment Training Course through AMES Australia Werribee and worked at the Western English Language School as a multicultural education aide.
For the past three years, she has volunteered as an English tutor with MiCare, an aged care and community services organisation.
She is also cultural advisor for community practice on COVID-19 at MiCare and secretary of the Western Karen Elder Group.
“It’s important for me to work as a volunteer in any kinds of ways I can, to help the community,” Ms Aungminn said.
“I like Australia because the government here is very peaceful and people respect each other and keep values.”
Refugee Week will run until Saturday, June 26, see www.refugeeweek.org.au/ for details.
