The SSI Allianz Refugee Scholarships will provide the scholars seeking asylum in New South Wales (NSW), Victoria, and Queensland with funding to overcome the added financial barriers they experience in secondary school, vocational education, university, skills, and qualification recognition.
“At Allianz, our purpose is to help provide a secure future for our customers, employees, and the wider community. Access to quality education is a critical step to equip young Australians with the skills that they need to thrive in the workforce and establish rewarding and successful careers,” said Allianz managing director Richard Feledy.
“I am a firm believer in the power and strength of diversity, inclusion, and belonging. The more we can bring together people with different experiences, ideas, and backgrounds and create environments where everyone feels safe to contribute, the better the outcomes will be – both for businesses and society as a whole. I am enormously proud of our partnership with SSI and the support that we have given to over 280 young people of refugee backgrounds to achieve independence in Australia.”
Since 2016, Allianz and SSI have awarded more than 280 refugee education scholarships, totalling over $500,000. This year, the partnership awarded scholarships to 34 people from 17 cultural backgrounds, including Afghan, Iraqi, Ukrainian, Yemeni, and Persian.
SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis said the partnership reflects Allianz's care and understanding of empowering and supporting newly arrived communities.
“These scholarships reflect our shared fundamental view that everyone has the right to meet their potential and to live the life they want to live. And in fact, as a community, we are all better off when people have the opportunity to do so,” Roumeliotis said. “Refugees and people seeking asylum face several challenges in pursuing their education.
“In particular, the recent transition to online learning by education institutions and schools has adversely impacted newly arrived students, who may have a lack of access to technology or digital skills.
“By working with organizations such as Allianz and other community partners, we aim to bridge this gap and offer support to students in their educational pursuits.”
Aside from supporting refugees, Allianz showed its commitment to supporting the LGBTQ+ community by launching a program to help young LGBTQ+ athletes feel safe and fully experience the benefit of sports.
Early this year, Allianz Care Australia (Allianz Care) launched a new direct billing mental health network for overseas student policyholders.
