There is an abundance of research which shows that displaced persons are among the most vulnerable in the community when it comes to resorting to alcohol and other drugs to dull the pain and misunderstandings which can arise when one is trying to live in a foreign culture. With this in mind, the Cyrene Centre has targeted both the Vietnamese and Sudanese communities in the Dandenong area and aims to provide programs and support structures which will lessen the impact of displacement on these peoples.
One such structure is the ‘Raising Hope’ playgroup which aims to provide displaced Vietnamese parents/carers of families where there is substance abuse (alcohol and other drugs) with parenting skills and by doing so in a group setting, to provide them with a Vietnamese support network.