Arshnoor Bawa Kaur is by all accounts a typical five-year-old.

Every morning she greets her kindergarten teacher with a big smile and loves playing with her friends.

But just a few weeks after starting school in Sydney’s northern beaches, she lost her mum to breast cancer.

At the end of April, she also lost her home.

Arshnoor, who was born in Australia, is currently in the care of her grandmother and uncles who are on tourist visas which will soon run out, forcing them to return to India.

Her mother Manjit Kaur's dying wish, according to Arshnoor's teacher Allison Dixon, was for her to be cared for by her aunt, who is currently studying in New Zealand but has yet to secure permanent residency here.

"Manjit was a courageous, inspiring single mum who had a beautiful smile and a happy disposition," Dixon has written on a GoFundMe page she set up to help the family.

"She knew her cancer was terminal but she was determined she would be around long enough to watch her daughter start big school.

"Manjit got her wish to see her daughter start school. Sadly she passed away only weeks later. "

Arshnoor and Manjit had been living in a women's refuge but had to leave on April 27 after Manjit died.

After spending a month with her grandma and uncles living in a backyard studio belonging to someone from her school, Arshnoor and her family have now managed to secure a six-month lease with money raised by Dixon's efforts.

The school has also been providing her lunches in the interim and Dixon says that in spite of everything, Arshnoor is still smiling.

"Surprisingly, she’s pretty happy actually. She likes to sit right next to me and have a cuddle all the time for reassurance, but she has a nice little group do friend and their mums are helping her out as well," she told Mamamia.

"The school community has been so good to her."

Dixon has already raised more than $15,000 or her $20,000 goal and says the money will be used to cover the cost of housing, food and other essentials, including surgery for a heart condition Arshnoor was born with and for which she has a pacemaker.

"Her mum’s wish was for her aunty to come out to look after her. So what we hope is to somehow get her aunty out here as quickly as possible and then they can start their life with a permanent place to live," Dixon said.

"We just want them to have stability and have a home. That’s the main thing, a home, and someone to care for her."

You can contribute to the GoFundMe campaign for Arshnoor here.