Editor's Blog

To help new arrivals to Australia, particularly refugees settle in, a new smartphone app was launched this month to provide information and tools which aim to help them navigate their new lives. The New Roots app provides tips for everything from staying fit to eating well and finding a job, according to a report by the UNHCR.

The New Roots app, which has been given the thumbs up The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) was developed by Settlement Services International (SSI) and Beyond Blue in Australia with funding from the Movember foundation.

Among other features of the app are tips for emotional well-being and guides to managing finances and contacting emergency services in Australia, according to the UNHCR report.

The app has been welcomed by resettled refugees, among them Iraqi surgeon and “New Roots Ambassador” Dr. Munjed Muderis. "I know from my own experience that this can be a very stressful and difficult period when settling in a new country," said Dr. Munjed Muderis, who is now a leading orthopaedic surgeon in Sydney, and who himself arrived in Australia on a rickety boat jammed with 150 asylum-seekers.

"The New Roots app can help with staying healthy through exercise and eating well, as well as connecting with people by joining local community and sports organisations and attending cultural activities," Muderis said in a statement posted on SSI's news blog.

"These things can be overlooked during the initial turbulent period of settling in a new country, but they are essential for reducing stress and embracing the opportunities to make this time a happy, healthy and productive experience," he added.

Following a 12-month pilot phase in the Australian state of New South Wales, developers hope the app will be made available in more languages and other project components will be promoted Australia-wide. The app is currently available in Farsi, Arabic, Tamil and English.

The app is available for download from the Apple and Android stores.