Guest speaker Sarah Maketh (second from left) with CWA members (l-r) Janet Shane, Annette Burgan, Olga Althoff (CWA Spencer Group International Officer) and Audrey Dayman.

“We have a program of events for the whole year, and topics studied include the country’s geography, food, education systems and women’s issues,” President Annette Burgan said.

“We were thrilled when Sarah, who was a refugee from Sudan, could join us.  

“Members prepared Sudanese dishes for lunch, and we had a quiz competition to test our knowledge of the country, some members even tried to wear attire resembling Sudanese dress.

“Our country of study next year is England, and last year it was India.”

Sarah’s story

Journalist: Ros White

Sarah Maketh was easily distinguishable amongst members of the Kadina CWA who had invited her as their guest speaker.

A tall woman, it was not just her height which made Sarah stand out but, originally from Sudan, her traditional dress and grooming were eye-catching.

Sarah was a quietly spoken person, so much so it was at times difficult to hear her as she emotively talked about her flight from Africa as a refugee.

A single mother with four children ranging in ages from 20 to 4, Sarah was born in Sudan 39 years ago.

She fled from Sudan to Ethiopia as a teenager when a vicious civil war erupted in 1983 and lived as a refugee until 1992.

Fighting broke out in Ethiopia and Sarah fled to Kenya from where she applied through the United Nations for refugee status and emmigrated to Australia five years ago.

“I think of my family members still there, especially my sisters who are widows,” she said, with sadness in her voice.

Sarah was given the opportunity to avail herself of 510 hours of language learning at a school in Adelaide, to enable her to speak English.

“It is extremely difficult to come to a country and not speak the native language, just to go shopping was an ordeal,” she recalled.

“I can source ingredients from African shops in Adelaide and so cook some African and some Australian recipes for my family.

“Since learning English, I have studied an aged care course and am desperately looking to work in that field.  My aim is to continue to study at TAFE and then university to gain a degree in Community Development.”

Although there are physical similarities between the two countries, the biggest disparities for Sarah are cultural.

“Education here is unlike the school system in Sudan.  In Australia girls are allowed an education, so I want to encourage our young Sudanese women to take advantage of this opportunity to study, and not be like their mothers.  Australia is a good place where they can gain skills instead of just marrying young and raising a family,” Sarah remarked.

“However, I am at a loss when it comes to discipline — or a lack of it — in schools here.

“In Sudan, naughty children were given punishment — not beaten, but a smack on the hands.  In Australia, teachers have no right to discipline their students in such a way, and a lack of discipline continues throughout their lives.

“Young teenagers have too much freedom.  Centrelink gives young ones money, and so as a mother, I have no control over what my children can do with it, they can have their own bank accounts.

“It makes it hard for me to have control over where they go and what they do.  If they have no work, they just hang around with their friends, and two children from our Sudanese community in Adelaide have been killed.

“I want to encourage the boys to stop killing each other and to go to school.  We brought them here for an education — not to die without cause.”