About Us

Brief History
The Queensland African Migrant Services (QAMS) came into being as a result of demands from many African communities seeking grass-root services for migrants and refugees who are finding it difficult to access most needed services that would enable them to settle faster and adequately in Queensland. The organisation was first conceived in 2013 and has been working with various migrant and refugee organisations in Queensland. However, in 2016, it was finally decided upon by its members to register it as Queensland African Migrant Services (QAMS) in order to fully engage both mainstream and Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) in Queensland in order to meet the growing demands of African migrant and refugee students’ academic problems as well as youth employment.

Who We Are
QAMS is a Not-For-Profit, Non-Governmental and Charitable organisation. Our organisation is composed of volunteers from a variety of countries who have seen reasons to give back to their communities in these troubling times while settling in their new home called Australia.

Our Mission
QAMS’ primary Mission is to pick up the pieces that have been left behind by African migrant and refugee peak-body organisations as well as mainstream institutions within the service delivery industries associated with African migrants and refugees’ students in Queensland.

Our Vision
QAMS is convinced that from 2017 to 2027 – within 10 years, African migrant and refugee students and youths residing in Queensland will be fully integrated within Australia’s Academic System, especially students and youths from CALD communities. QAMS will also pay key attention to unreported domestic violence within our communities as well as seek ways and means to reduce it by half from the current statistics in Queensland. Full integration within the Queensland System will enable them to get access to employment opportunities – a vision that we can’t compromise.

Our Value
At QAMS, we believe that our collective responsibility to make Queensland a safe and better state for all residents and visitors.

Our Framework
In order to achieve Our Mission and Vision, we put the well-being, concerns, issues and needs of others above ourselves by making sure that those students and youths we encountered through our work on a daily basis via our services within our community do not return home with disappointment, frustration and hopelessness. We work with our students as partners not as clients!

Our Philosophy
QAMS is of the conviction that there is lots of goodwill that is being untapped, but the difficulties most organisations of purpose and good intentions are faced with are – the misuse of this goodwill in the past which has led to the lack of consensus to give to charitable organisations that are striving to meet the needs of its communities. Therefore, QAMS is very much aware of such circumstances and will do all in its means to ensure that public-good is used for public-benefit at all times.   

Our Approach
QAMS is very much aware of competing demands for scarce resources and that institutions and organisations of goodwill have to go through a rigorous selection criteria in order to extend a helping hand to those mostly in need. Therefore, in order to safeguard our projects, activities and services for our student and youth communities, QAMS has adopted an income generating mechanism by Marketing, Advertising and Promoting African migrant and mainstream businesses in Queensland and beyond. This business approach is adopted in order to keep our doors open and services uninterrupted when there is a limited goodwill from the public due to circumstances that are beyond our control.