Biong Deng Biong works as Executive Officer for Edmund Rice Community and Refugee Services (ERCRS).
“What I’m really passionate about is improving social harmony and promoting equality and I was fortunate to secure a role at ERCRS where I can support others.”
Can you tell us about your background?
I arrived in Australia as a refugee from war-torn South Sudan in 2004. As a 9-year old, I was left alone with some boys around my age to trek from South Sudan to Ethiopia. We became known as the ìlost boysî of South Sudan. I ended up in Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya and was selected from thousands of other children for a scholarship which allowed me to complete my school education in Kenya.
How did you become involved in the Edmund Rice Network?
In 2004, I was offered a humanitarian visa to settle into Australia. After two weeks I started working as a carpenter. I studied and worked hard and have a Masters degree in Finance and Banking as well as a Graduate Certificate in Migration Law. But … what I’m really passionate about is improving social harmony and promoting equality and I was fortunate to secure a role at ERCRS where I can support others.
What inspires you most in your work?
My work has given me a chance to give back as others have given for me in the past.
What difference has the Edmund Rice program made to your life?
There are many areas but some key things have been improving my advocacy and leadership skills and building my sense of self-worth
As we head towards the end of the financial year, your gift can help children learn, read and thrive.
In rural western Kenya, classrooms are overcrowded, teachers are untrained and under-supported, and children are leaving school unable to read, leaving them disadvantaged for life.
But, with your help, this can change.
With improved teacher training, better literacy support and safer classrooms, children can gain the foundational skills they need to succeed at school and beyond.
Your support this tax time will help train teachers, strengthen schools and help thousands of children learn to read with confidence.
