Free Of Freetown, Thanks To Loan Arranger

Free Of Freetown, Thanks To Loan Arranger

Sydney Morning Herald
29 October 2004
Justin Norrie

When he left his job as an interest rate risk manager, David Addington wanted to do something to "make a difference" - but not of the financial kind.

There are 153 refugees who can attest to him doing that. In just over a year, Mr Addington has helped them escape persecution in Sierra Leone, ranked last by the United Nations out of 177 countries for quality of life.

His non-profit group, Northern Beaches Refugee Sanctuary, has lent more than $300,000, derived partly from fund-raising and donations, to cover their air fares from Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone.

"Our government pays air fares for only a minority of refugees. Most families with valid humanitarian visas have to raise money themselves and for west Africans, $2000 a ticket is out of the question," Mr Addington said.

"In Sierra Leone, you don't have a chance, it's hell, the life expectancy is 34, and a lot of people would be facing death if they couldn't get here."

The families can repay the interest-free loan over a number of years. It is then used to bring other Sierra Leoneans to Australia.

Mr Addington, 49, was talking yesterday at a conference at St Vincent's Hospital. Peter Jesu fled with his wife Juliana and three children in October last year, when the Kamajor militia threatened to murder him.

"This has saved my life, I cannot say how grateful I am," Mr Jesu said. "In Sierra Leone I was a laboratory technician, and the average salary was $30 a month, so the $2000 air fare is many years of pay.

"Now my children are in school doing activities they would never have been able to do, they have a future, and I have a job at Royal North Shore Hospital as an orderly. It's a friendly, happy country."

St Vincent's and Mater Health hospitals have agreed to provide the refugees with cheap or free medical treatment.

Back to News Index | Back to Home