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A sisterhood of difference: how SisterWorks empowers women from all backgrounds
The theme for Refugee Week 2023 is finding freedom; one that aligns directly with the impact SisterWorks makes in supporting migrant, refugee and asylum-seeker women achieve all-important economic freedom and the opportunites it affords for themselves and their families. It's with great pleasure and admiration that I showcase our incredible partner, SisterWorks, this Refugee Week.
Over the past nine years SisterWorks has supported over 1400 women in their transition to life in Australia. “We’ve been able to support women from over 95 different countries. It speaks to a very high level of diversity. Despite that, the women are still able to connect with each other like a sisterhood. That’s why we call our women Sisters.”
SisterWorks supports their “Sisters” in a variety of ways, from training and job opportunities to formal education, community involvement and enabling entrepreneurship. When women join the organisation, their aspirations are assessed, to see where their needs can be met.
Connection and community are very important values at SisterWorks and integral to the success of the programs.
SisterWorks offers a wide range of support, including training, job opportunities, formal education, community engagement, and entrepreneurship programs. Upon joining, each woman’s aspirations and needs are carefully assessed to match them with the most appropriate services. By addressing their unique goals, SisterWorks helps them take important steps toward building stable, fulfilling lives in Australia.
Central to SisterWorks’ success is its emphasis on connection and community. “A key point of connection can be shared hardship; when you find someone else who has experienced the same challenge as you,” says the organization. This sense of solidarity enables the women to overcome obstacles together and gain strength from their collective experiences, helping them move forward with confidence.
Refugee Week aims to celebrate and create better understanding between communities in Australia, and to encourage the successful and safe integration of refugees to Australian society, while demonstrating their many valuable contributions. As a leader in community relations, Maria says that better allyship between communities starts with open ears, open minds, and open hearts.
“Just have conversations, understand why they’ve come to Australia and ask them directly what they need to feel supported, to not sort of assume as well. You have to speak directly to that community and understand what they need to feel more accepted in society,” says Chindris. “Everyone is just human at the end of the day.”
This was the case for Faith, a woman from Papua New Guinea who joined SisterWorks in 2017 after fleeing family violence. Arriving in Melbourne without her family, Faith felt lost and disconnected, despite her background as a teacher. Through community craft classes and workshops provided by SisterWorks and the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, Faith regained her sense of purpose. “SisterWorks gave me a starting point for my career and my journey in Australia,” Faith says. She soon began leading her own workshops, which gave her the confidence to secure her first job. “It was that starting of meeting people and working with people,” she adds, reflecting on how the organization helped her share her story and express her identity.
