I'm Fariba and I'm 12 years old.
Hi, my name is Fatima.
I'm 11 years old.
LYEBA: Fatima and Fariba are close friends living in Adelaide.
They love reading,
dancing and playing soccer,
but they still remember a time when things were different.
You see, Fatima and Fariba came here as refugees.
We came here because Taliban said that girls are not allowed to study
and go to universities.
And also it was not safe to live in Afghanistan,
so my uncle replied a visa
and then we came here.
In Pakistan, there was, like, fighting
and my dad came earlier.
And my dad applied us to come to Australia.
And we came by an aeroplane with my mum,
my older...my four older sisters,
my one older brother and myself.
Fatima and Fariba aren't alone.
There are about 35 million people around the world who are refugees,
which means they've been forced to leave their home countries
because of natural disasters,
wars or mistreatment due to their race, gender or beliefs.
Refugees often have to live in camps like this
or move from country to country trying to find a safe home.
Sadly, violence, disasters and persecution
are nothing new and there have always been refugees.
But it was only in the 1950s that countries decided
to work together to look after them.
The Second World War forced a lot of people out of their countries,
so the newly created United Nations decided to set up an organisation
devoted to taking care of refugees.
It's called the UNHCR.
They also created the Refugee Convention -
an international treaty that sets out what a refugee is,
what rights they have
and what governments have to do to protect them.
Things like providing free access to the courts,
identity papers,
helping them settle into their new country
and not sending them back to a dangerous place.
More than 146 countries have signed on to the Refugee Convention,
including Australia.
Every year, thousands of people arrive here as refugees.
When I came here, I felt safe, very safe.
And the people was very different.
In Afghanistan, they sold fruits in fruit boxes
and we would buy.
In Australia they sell fruit like in plastics, I think.
When I came to Australia I feel safe and very happy to live here.
And it's a bit different from Pakistan.
Like a lot of trees and beautiful flowers
and the roads and the shops are different than Pakistan.
While leaving their home was hard,
Fatima and Fariba say they're really happy to be in Australia,
but there are lots of other people around the world
who are still looking for a safe place.
They often don't have enough food, water or medicine,
and kids can miss out on the chance to go to school.
Refugee Week is about recognising their struggles,
as well as celebrating all the great things refugees and former refugees
have done throughout Australia's history.
And it might surprise you to know just how many well known Aussies
arrived here that way.
From entertainers to scientists to sportspeople.
As for Fatima and Fariba,
they've got their own big plans for the future.
Um, I want to be a doctor in future.
In future I'd like to be actress,
K-Pop dancer and doctor and lawyer.