Asylum seekers detained at an onshore detention centre are knitting clothes and toys to donate to Australian charities, as part of a project they hope will also improve the mental health of detainees.



The asylum seekers, held at Darwin’s Wickham Point detention centre, have begun using allotted activity time of about one to two hours a day to make quilts, children’s clothes and toys for Australian charities.

“In this lengthy visa-processing period we have no freedom but we want to devote our skills to contribute to society,” said detainee Gan Mei Wah, the project’s organiser.

“It also is good thing to do for our life [while we] stay in detention. Most of us have spent over two years in detention.

“We have many people very good at crocheting, knitting and sewing especially, and have a lot of ‘blank’ time. We hope can gave away the stuff we made for older people and kids and let them know they’re not alone. We also feel happy for that.”

Gan said the group had contacted a number of Australian charities offering their craftwork but were also seeking donations of fabric, wool and a couple of machines to make more.

After Gan requested more time and equipment to work on the project, the detention centre operator Serco expanded the knitting program and bought an extra 15 machines, a spokesman for the Department of Immigration and Border Protection said, speaking also on behalf of Serco.

“The department looks forward to continuing to work with Serco and the local Darwin community to expand opportunities for detainees to participate in activities of this type,” he said.

Richard Hearn, the chief executive of Resthaven, a South Australian aged care provider approached by the detainees to receive the gifts, said he applauded the group for the initiative “to use time spent in detention to make items that are of benefit to people in need”.

“I am sure that the items made by Mei and others would be very much appreciated,” he said.

The executive officer of the Perth Ronald McDonald House, Peter King, said while he wouldn’t comment on the specific project “it’s great to see people from all areas of the community wanting to provide for those that are in need”.

“We often receive donations from groups within the community, where a lot of love and attentions been put into the production of things to give out to the families of the kids, and we appreciate those efforts they’ve put in,” he said.

Due to a large donation received at Christmas, the Perth organisation did not accept the offer but he said that did not mean they would not in future.

Gan said she hoped other detainees would join the project.

“Life in detention can be tough and difficult due to the uncertainty and lengthy process,” she said.

She said her friend and project coworker had been in detention in Indonesia and Australia for six years and had become extremely mentally ill.

“In such circumstances, people will be easily crushed and lost,” she said.

“But we really don’t want to be a negative image for society or made government do something for us. Especially [as] this is 2016, another new year. Harming ourselves and suicide is not a solution. We have to look at the whole world and the people outside might need more than us.”

Gan, who has been detained with her husband for almost two years, said she had seen “many ugly [things] happen”.

The detention centre has had a number of disturbances in the past year and there have been numerous cases of self-harm, possible suicide attempts and hunger strikes among the detainees.

Gan and her husband, who say they fled Malaysia in 2009 after loan sharks threatened their lives, have had their refugee claims rejected. The couple have appealed.