Uniting Vic.Tas concluded its three-year WOMHEn (which stands for ‘workforce of multilingual health educators network’) project partnership with Women’s Health Goulburn Northeast.
The WOMHEn project delivered in-language and tailored health and wellbeing support for women from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds in Shepparton.
Hundreds of women participated in sessions provided by specialist health providers and delivered by Uniting in Arabic, Dari, Hazaragi and Swahili.
Uniting’s bicultural workers are embedded in newly arrived migrant communities. With invaluable lived experience, they have been instrumental in encouraging the participation of women who would otherwise feel isolated, with limited knowledge of services and understanding of the Australian context.
Many of these women have not just limited English but also have low levels of literacy in their own language. Their asylum and refugee seeking journey was disruptive of their formal education and connection with their cultural languages.
Recognising women’s health and wellbeing knowledge acquired from their homelands and developed through their migration process, and their rights to decision-making and owning their bodies, were front and centre in Uniting’s community engagement work.
Uniting’s bicultural workers developed and distributed culturally and gender-aware video and audio clips and in-language presentation materials. They also used WhatsApp groups, referred women, and at times, accompanied them to services, as part of the overall community engagement practice.
Meet Furaha, who supports the Congolese community.
Moreover, the project has effectively achieved the following:
- A woman from Afghan background initially felt uncomfortable sharing her experiences about mental health and asking for help from a counsellor. The session helped her feel at ease and more willing to open-up. She appreciated the support received, which made a significant difference in her mental well-being. Over time, she felt more confident in seeking help and discussing her mental health.
- “This kind of information is really needed in our communities because many parents, including myself, are struggling to convince their kids [who are reluctant] to eat my food. However, I am now motivated to try the advice given,” said one mother at the Healthy Eating session.
- Apart from increased literacy and access to support in mental health and food nutrition matters, the women also expressed better understanding of healthy lifestyle, preventing and managing environmental impacts to one’s health, breast screening and the bigger aspect of sexual and reproductive health, managing and seeking support for ailments and violence, seeking support for children with developmental delays and similar issues, amongst others.
This project is a collaboration between the wider Victorian Women’s Health Services, spearheaded by Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health (MCWH), with funding from the Department of Health. The WOMHEn project highlights the importance of place-based, community-specific structures and systems to enable more just and equitable healthcare in rural CALD communities.
Learn more about our Multicultural Services or Uniting Vic.Tas Shepparton.
