Joseph Pereira

Joseph is a medical doctor with extensive experience providing medical screening for refugees from around the world. He is currently a General Practitioner whose work includes health checks for Karen and Burmese refugees and migrants. His medical degree was completed in Burma but since 1971 he has completed Diplomas in Tropical Medicine and Public Health as well as a Master of Health Planning. During this time he has been a member and spokes-person for the Australian Karen Organisation and has been involved in settlement support. Joseph has also organised fundraising to support Internationally Displaced Persons (IDPs) on the Thai border, and deputations to Federal Parliament and Thai and Burmese Embassies to protest against Human Rights violations. He has extensive experience lobbying politicians for example Phillip Ruddock and Amanda Vanstone to visit refugee camps on the Thai Burma border. Joseph co- operated with Randwick Rotary to set up a care Villa for handicapped refugees in Mae La Camp and wrote submissions and proposals to Caritas Australia to seek support in setting up a sewing machine factory and children’s nursery on the Thai Burma border. On his return from Mae La camp he collected used spectacles from St Vincent de Paul and optometry Department of the University of New South Wales for use by the refugees. Joseph is currently managing a project funded by Caritas Australia on the Thai border. Joseph attended the DTP program in Sydney 2007.