The world is experiencing the largest humanitarian crisis since the end of World War II with 65 million forcibly displaced people worldwide.
This year’s theme is #WithRefugees, a call to protect the safety and rights of refugees.
19-year-old Pemba Tshulembo’s journey as a refugee began on the day her father’s political rivals stormed into his funeral.
Pemba had already lost her mother in a car accident.
She and her three siblings had no choice but to leave the Democratic Republic of Congo for Kenya where they stayed for 5 years.
Pemba was over the moon when she received news that she could resettle in Australia even though she knew nothing about the country.
He says Australia has accepted over 880,000 refugees in the past seven decades.
Through Refugee Week, the organisation hopes to draw attention to the needs of refugees worldwide and recognise their contributions to Australia.
Some of those former refugees are now seen as valuable assets to the Australian economy.
One prominent example is Sir Frank Lowy, the founder of Westfield.
With close to a million refugees resettled in Australia over the last seventy years, the country is expecting to welcome around 18,000 more in the coming year.
“Many of those who come to the country as refugees are under the age of 25 and so it's a significantly younger population of refugee arrivals than we’re seeing in the general Australian population and so these people have decades of contribution to make to Australian society,” Mr Power said.
This Refugee Week, hundreds of events will be held across Australia in support of refugees around the world.
It's a chance for refugees to feel welcome and accepted in the country they now call home, says Pemba.
