For that I thank you

Thank you for the soul touching report I am Home.

The I am Home report has revealed to me how a small and dedicated group of new migrants can, and is changing the community for good but underneath the radar.

As a new Australian and member of the ethnic and culturally diverse community with the privilege and responsibility of working with people with structural disadvantage, I know the joy and the pain of these community members. Their joy and pain is better understood through the lens of Food Next Door statement of purpose. The primary purpose of Food Next Door as stated below captures and present that situation with clarity.

“The primary aim of Food Next Door is to relieve the suffering or distress experienced by newly arrived migrants and refugee groups, particularly those without access to land and who are living in rural and regional areas. Food Next Door achieve this by supporting these groups to re-engage in farming and the growing of crops.”

As I read the I am Home report it dawned on me that the soul of Food Next Door which has not been captured and expressed previously is done so in the report.

Economic wellbeing

Through the life changing impact of the farming projects and the positive media attention to the program, the participants now feel that they have earned the understanding and respect of the community instead of just existing as recipients of sympathy and understanding -thank you.

Through the positive experiences of the participants, they have become great ambassadors of the district, thus attracting new migrants from other parts of Australia to the district. Some of these newly attracted migrants come to the community with proficiency in spoken and written English and other professional skills in healthcare and disability services -for that the community is better.

Some of the participants in the farming projects have gained skills in agriculture and horticulture and are now able to get jobs in the mainstream horticulture industry in the area -for that we thank you.

Cultural, Social, Spiritual, Mental & Environmental Wellbeing

Through the soul touching effect of the Food Next Door farming program, individuals have connected better with themselves and the community with mutually respectful cultural exchanges and learning.

The program has given the individual participants a sense of self-worth and a visible uplift in self-esteem. Men who are expected to provide leadership and financial security to their families through the program achieved a sense of purpose that is transmitted through behaviour to their families.

I have noticed middle aged African men involved in the program who speak no English develop meaningful and respectful connections to a broader segment of the community. Men who once felt worthless as a consequence of unemployment and no contribution to the community now feel that they deserve the respect of their wives and children -for that I thank you.

Children who seemed ashamed of their parents who spoke no English and did not seem to contribute to the community now unconsciously have a better sense of themselves and their parents- for that I thank you.

Total strangers now come up to any African they meet on the street to inquire and learn more about the maize harvest and the farm project, instead of asking about the wars back home and how lucky we should feel about being welcomed here.

I thank you for revealing in its totality the soul of the Food Next Door farm project in the I am Home report.

-Richard Morfaw, Regenerative Communities business mentor, November 2021.

In 2023 we launched the tri-lingual children’s book We are Home which shares the Food Next Story in Swahili, Kirundi and English. The idea for the book emerged from the initial research, where farmers told us how important it is to be sharing their culture with their children.

We are Home is available to purchase from Collins Booksellers Mildura and the Mildura Visitor Information Centre.