Jacob Thang, Chin Refugees & Life Changing Candles

"When I stood in Melbourne airport, I couldn't believe it, it was like we were in Heaven .. I knew I was sent on a mission to help my people ... If we not do anything, and pray to God, nothing is going to happen - so we need to do something" - Jacob Thang, a leader of the Melbourne Chin Refugee Community, who number over 10,000 throughout Australia.

After fleeing Myanmar as a Chin Refugee, then spending 8 years working 12 hours a day in India with his family and unable to survive, Jacob Tang managed to get his family to Australia with the help of the UNHCR.

Firstly learning English, then working for 12 months from 10 in the morning at one job, and heading straight to a meat processing factory as a second job to finish at 5 am, he knew he had to carve out a way to employ his community, especially the women, and has gone on to successfully do so.

Jacob won the Wyndham Male Emerging Multicultural Entrepreneur Award of the Year in 2016, connecting Australia with the Chin state in Myanmar, developing a gardening business and now, providing a growing opportunity to his community through the production of Chin Life Changing Candles - https://chinlifechangingcandles.com.au - most likely your best choice for a personal or corporate gift this season.

This is his story.

Jacob would like to thank Andrew Willis, Liam and Michael Foldi, Bawi Pun Khul and the many who have supported his journey.

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Transcript

- Philip Bateman from The Interview here with Jacob Tang who's one of the pivotal people inside Kenshi Candles. Mr. Tang you are a Chin refugee from Myanmar, arriving in Australia in 2012. I believe you've won a Wyndham City Council Multicultural Award, potentially for bringing communities together and employing them. Could you tell me something about your journey from Chin State in Myanmar to get to Australia.

- Yes, thank you for giving us opportunity to meet you at this time. And I would like to share my story. I fled from Burma, Chin State, in 2005, to India. I spent my life in India, eight years, and I came, through UNHCR in 2012, to Australia. and I came, through UNHCR in 2012, to Australia. We were struggling in India, where we were living in India, because a lot of us were not citizens of India, and we were finding it very hard to survive in India. and we were finding it very hard to survive in India. But we were working in India 12 hours a day, and still we couldn't survive our life. But by the grace of God, God brought me and my family together to Australia, in 2012. God brought me and my family together to Australia, in 2012.

- That first year, when you were in Australia, how was that for you? What kind of work were you doing?

- When I arrive in Melbourne airport, what I'm feel is, this Australia is like we feel in heaven, and the life, this is very different, compared by our Chin Land, and what we came from. I feel God send me to helping here, and my Chin people in our Chin Land. In Australia, I don't know anything about; even I don't speak English. How am I'm going to fight my future for my family, and for my community? Day-by-day, my life is learning. When I was young, I want to help people, and my community and my family, but I couldn't do anything about, because I'm not qualification person, educated person. Because about all military, in our country.

- When you first came here, from what I understand, you were working in a gardening job during the day.

- Yes.

- From about 9 till 5, and then you would go and do another job night shift, and then work through the evening?

- Yes, so this is tough, my life, because even my family, my dad, and my brother, and sister, and even my wife, they didn't understand. And my community, some few people, told me that, "You are crazy. "Why you work like this?" But I know, I pray to God, and my vision and my mission is, I want to achieve. I want to employ them, my people, in Australia, who living here because, like me, we can't get a job in Australia. When we apply to job, they asking the qualification. I want if we something do the business, in gardening business, because the Chin people are all 95% is farming, farmers; so if we do gardening business and we know how to do, they don't need to apply qualifications or certificate, and we can help them. They don't need to speak English. We can translate them, who speak English in our community, and we can employ them, and we can translate, and that's we can create a job. That's where I'm finding to achieve my goal, and that why I put my energy, and time, and everything to work. I work 12 months night shift, Monday to Friday, 5:30 pm to in the morning, 4:30 am, and when I wake up 9:30, 10:00 am in the morning, I work my gardening job, and I come straight to factory. Yeah, and I'm never tired, because my hope is there, and my vision is there, and I pray, I keeping pray, God one day, he will show me I'm right, and he keep me my future. God has planning for me. That's why I'm always feeling and keeping praying, and do something, because if we not do anything, and pray to God, is nothing going to happen. So we need to do something, and we ask God, and God will help us. That's my belief. In 2016, we work together with Werribee Mansion, and they give us Emerging Multicultural Entrepreneur Award, I can't believe my life, how I become this. I am not enough qualified for this award, but everyone helping me and generosity. In 2016, I met with Andrew who owns Super Gardens company, and he is want to help the people, and I tell my story, and we build two years, trust in each other, and we work together. He is helping me, mentoring how to run the business, and everything he put to energy and his time and everything to me. And I'm become now successful business now, and my dream is come true, by the grace of God, by the glories of God, and who helping me. This my vision and mission to helping my people, and I would like to say thank you for Australian government, and whoever generous upon to me, and upon our Chin community people in Australia. So I would like to thanks who helping me in the past, James Johnagin, and Catherine Doya, and yeah, Steven, and a lot of people involved. This how we become, since 2012 to today. My dream it is not only here. The people send us on a mission to Australia, to help our people who need it. Now God connect with Andrew, and they have been in 2018, in November, in my country, so this is a great story. Australia and Chin State connect. Whoever want to help the people who need it, they can come and help, and we can drive to our Chin Land. Whoever can come join us, we can show them where we need help.

- What is the best way people can help you?

- They can buy candle. This is good quality and look great, & great idea, & want to change the world. This is not only business; this is helping the people. This is great idea, and I told him we will be successful one day, because this is not about making money. We grow together, we help together our people, and they also invest their time for us, they teach how to make the candle. We can't compare with the money, skill, and he gave us, and we make here in the garage. And the women and Chin people who can't get the job, we can employ them. They can come, they make the candle, and here more opportunity for who living in Melbourne, especially Chin women. I would like to thank Liam and Michael again. So this is all about the candle. So help us, buy candle, and we helping together to our Chin Land who need the help, in our Chin country.

- Thank you for your time.

- Thank you very much.