Since May 2007, Karen refugees have been arriving in Bendigo from refugee camps located in Thailand and Myanmar, escaping relentless persecution and execution by the military rule in Myanmar. Generally, their only avenue of escape is via the boarder between Thailand and Myanmar, however, Myanmar soldiers often set traps at the border, making attempts at escape very difficult.
Many Karen refugees who arrive in other parts of Australia have chosen to relocate to Bendigo due to the established Karen community here and they can get help to resettle into the local community from relatives and friends who speak their language. Affordable housing and easy access to key social services and support are also one of the main reason they choose Bendigo.
Established in 2010, Karen Culture & Social Support Foundation – KCSSF (formerly known as Karen Buddhist Dhamma Dhutta Foundation, KBDDF) has been supporting Karen, Burmese people to relocate from other parts of Australia and sponsors families and young people to come to Australia from refugee camps. Additionally, KCSSF also extend the support by assisting new arrivals to find accommodation, rent or purchasing a house, get connected with various government agencies, and to start their journey with education and employment through providing English classes in which the process of learning English is integral to enculturation and is a pre-requisite for employment. The number of Karen refugees seeking to move to Bendigo is increasing and the demands on KCSSF resources continue to grow.
To ensure high quality support can continue to be provided to Karen refugees and the existing Karen community, the number one priority for KCSSF is to build a well-resourced community centre where Karen people would come to seek help for things like education, career advices, social matters, and government affairs. With most of our members and volunteers having similar background and/or experience being refugees arriving in a new country, we believe we can provide a more person-centred approach with additional help and support from our local government.
Furthermore, the centre is a place where people will gather for meetings and cultural celebrations as the KCSSF community centre also have an emphasis on cultural preservation which we aim to achieve through traditional food preparation, cultural festival celebrations and fostering dancing opportunities for the youth and also collaborating with other cultural groups in Bendigo.
| Karen people in Bendigo from 2007-2024 | Numbers of houses purchased with the help of KCSSF |
| 2007 – 7 ppl | n/a |
| 2008 – 19 ppl | n/a |
| 2009 – 45 ppl | n/a |
| 2010 – 100ppl | n/a |
| 2011 – 150ppl. | 1 house |
| 2012 – 200ppl | 5 houses |
| 2013 – 250ppl | 15 houses |
| 2014 – 500ppl | 35 houses |
| 2015 – 800ppl | 78 houses |
| 2016 – 1200ppl | 98 houses |
| 2017 – 1800ppl | 120 houses |
| 2018 – 2500ppl | 160 houses |
| 2019 – 3000ppl | 198 houses |
| 2020 – 3200ppl | 215 houses |
| 2021 – 3300ppl | 235 houses |
| 2022 – 3500ppl | 245 houses |
| 2023 – 3800ppl | 257 houses |
| 2024 – 4000ppl | 265 houses |