Australia attracts hundreds of thousands of international students to study abroad thanks to its promise of a first-class education and great experiences.
Every day, about 100 students from Asia, Latin America and many other regions line up outside a cooking school in Melbourne waiting to receive free meals.
People lined up outside an Australian government welfare center in Melbourne on May 23.
International students pay a large amount of money each year to study in Australia, but students like Santiago Castillo from Colombia are now counting every penny to survive each day.
Castillo, 26, worked at a coffee shop before the Covid-19 outbreak.
After paying rent and borrowing more from friends, Castillo now has less than $66 in his account.
Government subsidies only apply to laid-off workers, not non-permanent residents, even though they pay local taxes and bring billions of dollars into the Australian economy.
To support those who are not on benefits, free kitchens are popping up across Australia.
`I’m extremely stressed,` Castillo said, pointing to small bumps on his lips, back and eyes.
Two subsidized meals a day at the Melbourne City Institute of Education, mainly curry and chicken and one vegetarian dish, were a `lifesaver` for him.
Marilia da Silva, a student from Brazil, is also relying on food aid.
The Melbourne Institute of Education currently has about 600 international students, 90% of whom have lost their jobs, according to Gary Coonar, the academy’s chief executive.
Student welfare officer Michelle Cassell said `at facilities like this, students often have to sacrifice meals to save money for rent`.
The institute has partnered with Charon Foundation, a local charity organization, to provide 900 meals per week to those most affected by the epidemic since mid-March until now.
Cassell said the program could continue until September or until students are stable again.
Australian universities were nearly halfway through the first semester when Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on April 3 that international students who are in difficult situations due to the epidemic should `go home`.
`By the time he made that statement, flights had stopped,` Coonar said.
Volunteer chef Laarni Byrne had just started a commercial cookery course when she decided to stay in Australia.
`I had to be very lucky to get to Australia. I made a lot of effort to get here,` Byrne shared.
Australia plans to ease the blockade starting from June 1, meaning restaurants and cafes can serve again, providing job opportunities for students.
`I needed to find a way to work effectively instead of worrying about the impact of Covid-19,` Byrne said after losing both her online marketing job and her job at a hotel.
