Karen Culture and Social Support Foundation (KCSSF)
The Karen Culture and Social Support Foundation (KCSSF) is a non-profitable organisation located in Bendigo Victoria founded by Ashin Moonieinda in 2010 dedicated to provide support to Karen people / refugees settling in Australia and preserving our heritage by celebrating our culture.
Moonieinda – A Life of Service
Ashin Moonieinda “Moonie” first arrived in Melbourne, Australia in May 2007 with another Buddhist monk. In just 2 days after his arrival, he then moved to Bendigo on 17th May 2007 when there was only one Karen family who arrived just 10 days before him.
Moonie’s journey to Australia and thence Bendigo was possible because of a recommendation by a former member of the Australian armed forces, who was doing volunteer work with a community group on the Thai-Myanmar border. There were 5 refugee camps (currently 9 as of 2025) in Thailand-Myanmar border. An Australian ex-serviceman was assisting the refugee camps and his aim was to encourage a Buddhist monk from each camp to move to Australia to support refugees from Myanmar when they arrived in their new country, Moonie was one of the first few monks to take on the challenge. He suggested Bendigo as a destination for Moonie, believing the Karen refugees moving to Australia should be well-supported by Buddhist monks, Moonie acted on that recommendation and started planning his new journey to Australia.
Moonie’s life in Bendigo began by staying with a supporting local Christian church. The first thing Moonie did was to engage in a lot of learning. A volunteer group assisted Moonie to find accommodation which he paid for with his Centrelink payment. The volunteers also enrolled him in Bendigo TAFE to learn English. He did that for two years and then continued learning English for another year at a different location and ultimately completing his university degree.
After a year, more Karen families started to move to Bendigo and Moonie sought to help the new arrivals as much as possible. He taught them about Australian culture and assisted them on their new life journey. Knowing of his work, some Australian government agencies began advising Karen refugees that there is support in Bendigo and consequently, Bendigo became a preferred Australian location for Karen refugees to begin their new life with a better future. Moonie’s support is acknowledged and promoted within the local community and his phone number is shared with Karen people both in Australia and Thailand.
3 years later, Moonie moved into a house near the Bendigo Hospital and lived there for two years. Moonie received a small income from assisting new arrivals with settlement issues. He worked as a community guide and interpreter. He used his income to buy a small house which he later sold to acquire the land at 20 Pine Street, Eaglehawk with addition of a small loan. Moonie continued his work in the following years, bring more Karen families to Bendigo to start a new chapter in their life. With enough money saved plus additional support from community donations, the current building on 20 Pine Street was finally erected. Although the building is smaller than they anticipated due to the limited funds at their disposal, it still provides a fundamental foundation for ongoing cultural support activities. Government grants and ongoing donations from the Bendigo Karen community fund the various activities and programs that support new settlers, preserve their culture, and create connections between members of the community.
When Moonie reflects on life in Bendigo for refugees, he remembers how hard it was when he first arrived. Newly arrived refugees survive with limited incomes, transport, and no way of engaging with the wider community. However, as the years have passed, there is now community strength, resilience and a wider range of support and services. The Bendigo Karen community has become widely known across Australia and Thailand. Bendigo is the place that many Karen refugees hope will become their home for the future. Even Karen people in the Thai refugee camps who have not heard of Moonie but manage to get to Australia soon learn of his work and choose to relocate to Bendigo with Moonie’s assistance.
Moonie has helped many refugee families in various locations across Australia. Moonie says that he often drives a truck to bring families and their belongings to Bendigo. He says that sometimes the refugees have to leave behind their furniture behind and he helps them buy replacements. Moonie is grateful for the work of Karen refugee volunteers who are available to help new arrivals.
Moonie understands not all the Karen refugees are Buddhists, and religious believe should not be a barrier to receiving his help and support. His door is always open for those who comes to him for help and that his team will gladly provide any support or advices. When Karen refugees make it to camps in Thailand they are subjected to significant restraint and specific religious groups would try to manipulate them. In reality, they have very limited independence. Those who are lucky enough to escape to Bendigo find the new freedom exhilarating and the Buddhist monks pursue the Australian tradition of not imposing religious views. Moonie’s team provides assistance that is equally available to all Karen refugees regardless of their views or religion. Moonie says a few families receive his support to move to Australia each year, he says that Bendigo is a preferred place to make a new home because there are opportunities for employment and there has been a reasonable supply of rental properties.
When Karen refugees first arrived in Bendigo it was hard to continue creating traditional food but there are now several Karen grocery stores and many members of the community have gardens growing traditional vegetables and fruits. Many adult Karen arrivals in Bendigo have a background where they were not able to go to school. Many of them are not literate in the Karen language, let alone English. Also, many Karen adults cannot drive and they are reliant on public transport and community support for many of their errands and activities.
Moonie says he is very happy with the schools in Bendigo because Karen students, including young monks, are welcomed and supported by their peers, teachers and senior Karen students. He is pleased that a significant number of Karen children manage to adapt to a new environment and finishing their schooling to pursue further education or apprenticeships through university and TAFE. He says those refugees who can speak English find it easier to gain better employment.
Moonie’s vision is to have a substantial building at their Pine Street location to give continuing support for cultural activities and to protect their culture. He also hopes the building will house a medical practice that is easily accessible for non-English speaking members of the community. Moonie notes that Karen people are averse to going into aged care facilities and he is hoping his new building will support older Karen people to retain their independence and younger members of the community to make the most of educational opportunities.
After having seen the Karen refugees receive a range of support from various parts of the Bendigo community, Moonie has decided that if the manages to gain sufficient funds for a substantial new building on their Eaglehawk land, he is determined to create meeting rooms and other facilities for other local community groups.