Collaboration is key to providing food security to international students during COVID-19
Ms Sarah Parrington1, Ms Jodie McDonald1
1StudyAdelaide, Adelaide, Australia
Financial pressure has always had a major impact on international students’ wellbeing. In the wake of the global pandemic and consequent job losses, the pressure was amplified, and we saw an unprecedented level of food insecurity among international students in Adelaide. This growing need was evident with our local NGOs reporting a significant increase in international students presenting for emergency assistance. The situation was complicated by the NGOs’ assessment processes – the students were required to wait up to two weeks for an interview – which had flow-on effects for the NGOs’ limited resources. Through consultation with the NGOs we were able to quickly develop an innovative streamlined free food voucher program – circumventing the assessment process – that was administered by StudyAdelaide. Being able to access the vouchers online through StudyAdelaide, a trusted and known source, was of great benefit to our students who either did not know where to get assistance or were stigmatised about approaching charities for help often due to cultural or societal attitudes. StudyAdelaide’s independent status also removed students’ fears that admitting their vulnerability would impact their academic results or visa standing.
The food voucher program was a great success and testament to the power of collaboration and innovation. The relationships established from this program have continued to provide opportunities for further collaboration into the mental health space. Find out more about this unique partnership, which was funded by the Red Cross, administered by StudyAdelaide, distributed via five NGOs, and provided invaluable assistance to thousands of students at their time of need.
Biography:
Sarah joined StudyAdelaide in early 2015 as the Student Engagement Manager supporting international students from pre-arrival through to farewell through all sectors of international education in South Australia. She completed a Bachelor of Tourism and Event Management at the University of South Australia which included a semester abroad at Buffalo State College (USA). After her first experience as an international student, Sarah then set her sights on the Mountbatten Institute in New York City to complete a Postgraduate Certificate in International Business Practice whilst working for a private equity firm in Manhattan. In 2015 Sarah joined the ISANA SA/NT committee before becoming the Vice President of ISANA SA/NT in 2017 and President in 2019.