GIvING ChIlDrEN
Tell us a biT abouT your
family?
Jonathan and I met in 2009
(and got engaged 16 days
later!) We got married
later that year and moved
straight to Lebanon, where
Jonathan was already living
and working. In 2011 we had
Jemimah, our mischievous
15 month old daughter. We
have had a wonderful fifteen
months with Jemimah,
living on Sydney's northern
beaches. While she misses
the dogs of Long Reef dog
park and the pelicans of
Fisherman's Beach, she has
found some compensation
in discovering the street cats
of Beirut.
WhaT is your
volunTeering
background Working in
lebanon?
When we lived in Lebanon
before, Jonathan worked
full time at a University
(Professor of English
literature). He started
working with refugees
after one of his friends,
a refugee from Sudan,
was jailed indefinitely for
having no residency papers.
He languished in the
immigration prison, which is
a concreted-in carpark, for
fourteen months. Luckily
Jonathan could get help
for him by interviewing him
and passing on his story to
an NGO lawyer in Lebanon.
With such legal assistance,
he eventually gained
refugee status with UNHCR
and was given residency
in Sweden! Unfortunately
so many more people are
languishing in the same
situation, but without any
outside help. I come from
a teaching background
and taught at a school for
children from the Palestinian
refugee camps. I taught art
to kindergarten until year
9 (the end of school for
most of these kids). It was
an incredible opportunity
to engage with these kids,
many of whom had never
held a texta let alone a
paintbrush! Every lesson
they were just thrilled to be
there and anxious to create
something new!
WhaT made you decide To
reTurn To ausTralia?
In 2011 we decided to
move back to Australia
as I was pregnant with
Jemimah. I'd always
wanted to have my first
child with the support of
family and friends. We have
a really close family and
this was important to me.
your daughTer is noW
14 monThs and you
are heading back To
lebanon- can you Tell
us WhaT made you decide
To go back?
When we were heading
home pregnant with
Jemimah, we thought that
once we had her we would
want to stay in Australia for
her to enjoy everything that
Australia offers. We had
visions of her spending her
afternoons frolicking at the
beach and her weekends
eating TimTams with her
cousins. However as
Jemimah grew our desire
to go back to Lebanon
and work just got stronger.
We really appreciated
all the opportunities and
freedom that children in
Australia had and wanted
to help to improve the
lives of these children who
are born loved but with
6
"Be the change you wish to see in the world" -
For some of us it's an inspiring quote, but for
Carly Hall it's a way of life.
Working with refugees and migrant workers in
Lebanon, this Australian mother is providing
the undocumented children of Lebanon
unprecedented access to early education and
giving them - and their parents - hope for a
brighter future.
The Freedom to Flourish