“I was devastated by those photos,” she said.

“I thought, ‘That could have been my grandson’.”

Ms Fraser, a Uniting Church chaplain at an aged care facility, says she wants to open her home to refugees like three-year-old Aylan Kurdi, one of 12 people who drowned trying to flee the Syrian civil war.

“Like many people in Australia I live in a good-sized house,” she said.

“I’ve got room in my house to help people make a start in life.”

Ms Fraser said she was also inspired by similar movements in Iceland and Germany, where people are offering housing, money and clothes to refugees.

“My goal is for 11,000 Australian homes to match the generosity of the Icelandic people,” she said. 

She took to Facebook with her idea and says she has heard from more than a dozen friends who are willing to take in refugees.

Laurel Cooney, of Torquay, says she was “overwhelmed” when she saw Kurdi’s picture circulating online.

“I have a little boy, and it did make me cry,” Ms Cooney said. 

She also wrote about it on Facebook and connected with Ms Fraser. They says they want to galvanise support for the refugee crisis on a grassroots level in Australia.

“If we work together and the momentum picks up anything is possible,” Ms Cooney said. 

Loddon Campaspe Multicultural Services executive officer Noemi Cummings said the current world crisis "gives our country the opportunity to show kindness and compassion”. 

“Australia is a rich country and seeing the tragedy and suffering experienced by our fellow humans even though they are far, should move us into action,” Ms Cummings said. 

"One way could be to increase the number of Syrian refugees allowed to come to settle with us."

“It is impossible to be truly happy if we see misery and do nothing, when we have the capacity to do so.”

The civil war in Syria has killed 200,000 people and forced 11 million to flee.