Supporting young women from refugee and refugee-like backgrounds to learn, grow & flourish in australia
Who We Are
River Nile School is a non-fee-paying, independent senior secondary school for young women from refugee and refugee-like backgrounds.
Our trauma-informed model is grounded in relationships, cultural safety, and flexible learning pathways, supporting students to engage in education and complete their VCE in Australia.
Donate to our EOFY Tax Appeal:
education starts with belonging
and is strengthened by wellbeing, connection, and care.
Education is free at River Nile School
But meaningful participation in education requires more than a classroom alone.
River Nile School is a non-fee paying, independent senior secondary school for young women from refugee and refugee-like backgrounds.
Our trauma-informed model integrates education, connection and wellbeing support, recognising that equitable learning requires investment in belonging.
Many students are navigating disrupted education, resettlement, language barriers, and complex systems that do not always reflect their experiences or needs. For them, access to education is shaped not only by academic opportunity, but by stability and the supports that make participation possible.
While government funding supports core education delivery, it does not fully fund the programs and spaces that sustain full engagement in school life.
Community support helps bridge this gap.
These programs help sustain students’ engagement in education alongside the many challenges they may be navigating beyond the classroom — from wellbeing support and shared meals to opportunities for creative expression and community connection.
With your support, we can continue to run our:
The Wellbeing Hub
The Wellbeing Hub provides culturally responsive, trauma-informed support within the school environment. By bringing services such as healthcare, social work and housing support on site, the Hub helps reduce some of the barriers that can disrupt school attendance and engagement in education. It creates more accessible pathways to care and early intervention for students and families.
Spiced-Up Dance Class and Crew
Our Spiced-Up Dance Crew creates opportunities for movement, creativity and connection within the school community. The program also supports students to perform at cultural festivals, community events and local venues, creating opportunities to share culture, build confidence, and connect with the broader community through performance.
Meals Program
The Meals Program provides three meals each day to students, helping reduce the impacts of food insecurity while creating consistency and stability throughout the school day. Shared meals also foster routine, connection and community, supporting wellbeing, engagement and participation across the school community.
Thank you for your support!
Every contribution truly counts.
$500 provides healthy meals for all students across two school days, supporting wellbeing, connection and readiness to learn.
$10,000 supports our Dance program for a full year, creating opportunities for creative expression, confidence and community connection.
$3,000 supports the operation of our Wellbeing Hub for one week, helping improve attendance, strengthen student wellbeing, and connect young women to health and social services.
All donations of $2 or more are tax deductible. River Nile School is a registered charity with the ACNC and an endorsed Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR).
RIVER NILE SCHOOL - MELBOURNE AWARD WINNERS
COMMUNITY
We’re thrilled to share some very exciting news - the River Nile School has been named winners of the Melbourne Awards 2025 in the Community category. It’s an honour to be recognised by the @cityofmelbourne for outstanding work and a HUGE thank you to our amazing students, staff and community who make this possible every day!
Upcoming events
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River Nile School Book drive
We’re running a special book drive at River Nile School to get more books into our library – and we want these books to reflect you!
We asked students what kinds of books they’d love to read, and then we worked with our wonderful friends at Chestnut Tree Bookshop to help choose a list of books based on your ideas. Chestnut Tree put so much care and thought into the list, making sure it matches the interests, passions and backgrounds of our amazing students.
Now we’re asking our wider community to help by buying one of these books for our library.
Each book will help build a stronger, more exciting reading space for everyone at RNS. And every person who donates a book can even write a special message inside the cover for our students to read!
Want to get involved?
You can find the book list and donation link in our school bio or by asking at the office.Let’s build a library full of stories that feel like home. 💛📚
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Refugee Education & Empowerment network (REEN) Term 4 in-person meeting
Thursday 22nd October 2026
4PM-6PM
📍Level 3 of River Nile School - 117 Capel Street North Melbourne.
On Thursday 22 October, the Victorian Refugee Education and Empowerment Network (REEN) will come together at River Nile School for its final gathering of 2026 and to mark one year since the network first launched.
In its first year, REEN has grown to more than 400 members across education, community, government, health, research and other sectors, connected by a shared commitment to improving educational experiences and opportunities for young people from refugee and refugee-like backgrounds.
Our final gathering for the year will be an opportunity to reflect on and celebrate what we have built, learned and achieved together, while turning our attention towards an important question: what comes next?
At the centre of the afternoon will be a youth fishbowl conversation hosted and guided by Lydia Tesema, creating space for young people to share where they believe systems are working, where they are falling short, and what they would like to see REEN advocate for, influence or take action on.
But the conversation won’t end with listening.
Young people’s insights will become a springboard for the wider network to consider our own roles and opportunities for action, and where our collective knowledge, relationships and influence could make the greatest difference.
Throughout the afternoon, members will also connect with people working across different parts of the refugee education and empowerment ecosystem, share practical resources, strategies, initiatives and partnerships, and identify areas of shared interest.
Together, we will begin exploring opportunities for working groups and collaboration beyond our quarterly meetings and co-create REEN’s priorities and action plan for 2027.
After a year focused on building connections, sharing practice and strengthening relationships, this gathering is about beginning the next chapter of REEN.
Moving from connection and conversation towards collective action.
Places are limited and registration is essential.
