WHEN Congolese man Roland Kalamo walked into the Mount Gambier Red Cross office last year looking to help as a volunteer, the staff could not believe the skill-set they were about to acquire.
A college graduate in social work and fluent in seven languages, Roland has seen several corners of the globe, however the decision to come to Australia was finely balanced.
“I actually had two choices – I had an opportunity to meet the Pope or to come to Australia,” Roland said.
“While I think many people would have chosen the Pope, for me, coming to Australia was more important, because I might still get to see the Pope one day.”
Wanting to start his new life in a regional community, Mr Kalamo ventured to Mount Gambier and entered the Red Cross office unannounced because he saw an opportunity.
“I saw the banner outside the building and I had worked for the International Red Cross and I just wondered ‘is this the same Red Cross?'” he said.
“When I came in here, I met very nice people and there was a place for me as a volunteer.”
Roland quickly found that place in the office by generating a service to restore family links between refugees.
“Restoring family links was not really existent at this office, so there was a gap, there was a space for me,” Roland said.
“I chose to come here, I left the Pope, and my story could continue in Australia.”
Red Cross South East regional coordinator Greg Baxtendale said before Roland arrived, the Mount Gambier team did not have the skills base to excel in the area of reconciliation.
“Roland brought the skills to the office and we saw an opportunity because we just had to use them,” Mr Baxtendale said.
“Restoring family links” – which is known less formerly as “tracing” – is aimed at reconnecting refugees in Australia with their families, whom they often have lost contact with.
“We try to trace their families and if we find them we tell them, which is what any person who has been in conflict and been separated is in need of,” Roland said.
“This office is the only place in Mount Gambier where a migrant or refugee can come to get information about people they lost contact with.”
Roland said his office is open to anyone who needs to engage in the service.
“When you come in, you can tell us your story and once we have the information, we send it through to Adelaide to build a profile for you,” Roland said.
“They will then contact the country where you think the family member might be, because we have representation in 160 different countries.”
The International Red Cross works together and coordinates with the national office to try to track down the family member.
“Once they find out where the family member is, the information will come back down the line to my office and I get ready to celebrate when I get to share it with you,” Roland said.
“It is very rewarding, because when you share the information, you get to see how the whole life of a person can change with just a bit of news.”
Roland encouraged refugees in the community to come forward to the Red Cross and engage the service he is providing.
“Red Cross is open to everyone and we want people to come forward,” Roland said.
“We want other people in the community to get the message out about the service and let migrants and refugees in the community know we are here to provide and hopefully
help.”
Visit www.redcross.org.au for more information and visit Roland at the Mount Gambier office for assistance.
