Lakemba Mosque in south-west Sydney — one of Australia's largest mosques — runs a homework hub that opened full-time in 2024 after a successful pilot. Four evenings a week, volunteer tutors (university students, retired teachers, and professionals) help children aged 7–16 with English, maths, and science. In 2024–2025 the hub registered 215 regular attendees from Afghan, Syrian, Palestinian, and Rohingya families settling in Canterbury-Bankstown.
What families receive
Children arrive after school, eat a hot meal (often rice and stew prepared by mosque volunteers), and study in classrooms above the prayer hall for two hours. Laptops and Wi-Fi are provided for families without home internet. Parents attend monthly English classes in the same building while children study — reducing transport barriers for mothers with multiple siblings.
Outcomes in 2024–2025
School teachers reported measurable gains: reading ages improved an average of 1.2 years among Year 4–6 regulars. Three 2025 high-school graduates from the hub received university offers — the first in their families in Australia. The New South Wales Department of Education formally listed the hub as a community partner for refugee intake schools in 2025.
- STEM Saturdays: robotics kits donated by a Sydney tech firm
- School uniform bank: donated blazers and shoes each term
- Holiday day camps: combine sport and Quran memorisation circles
- Mental health: counsellor visits twice monthly for trauma-aware support
Whoever follows a path in pursuit of knowledge, Allah will make easy for him a path to Paradise.
Australia's mosque homework hubs show that education is community infrastructure. Lakemba's 2024–2025 programme turned evening prayer space into a classroom — and gave refugee children something every parent wants: a fair start in a new country.