Empowerment at the heart of women’s hub

GINNY Tan believes there’s nothing else like SisterWorks in Bendigo.

The organisation, which first launched in Melbourne eight years ago, aims to help newly settled migrant and refugee women get into work by connecting them with employment, entrepreneurship, free higher education or training opportunities.

The SisterWorks Empowerment Hub on Mundy Street is the only one of its kind in regional Victoria and Ms Tan, who leads it as manager, said it’s become a safe space for women – known as sisters – to develop practical job skills, learn English and heal from past traumas since launching two years ago.

“We all know what it’s like to come into a different country without language skills and how lost you can feel,” she said.

“This is the place where they make connections, meet other women, feel supported and upskill because you need a job, money and income to be independent.

“We have women from all different backgrounds. Some come as relatives, like daughters and mothers to support each other, sometimes they come as cousins, we also have referrals from places like Annie North.

“We’re catching people who somehow slip through the system.”

An average 30 sisters meet every day at the hub and some have gone on to work in aged care, join the organisation as a paid employee or start their own business through SisterWorks’ social enterprise.

A contract production partnership with giftware wholesaler Pilbeam Living saw the sisters sew more than 8000 neck pillows using sewing machines at the hub for retailers like Sussan, Bed Bath N’ Table and David Jones.

The organisation’s CEO, Ifrin Fittock, said there were plans to further grow SisterWorks locally by moving production of all company label products to Bendigo.

“We know that the sisters in Bendigo are very motivated, hardworking and dedicated and we want to provide this opportunity equally, not just for sisters in Melbourne,” she said.

As a former Bendigo resident herself, Ms Fittock said she wanted to help regional sisters achieve their ambitions.

“The future is not one directional, they can go anywhere they think they have potential and we’re not going to limit where they want to go,” she said

“For as long as we can support them, we will.”

Currently, the organisation is looking for more local businesses to stock SisterWorks products, with the Bendigo Visitor Centre and PepperGreen Farm already on board.

Ms Tan said supporting migrant and refugee women in their work endeavours would benefit the whole community.

“Every time I think that life is hard, I watch these women. Some of them have no education, they’ve grown up in refugee camps or they’ve had so many obstacles thrown at them and they’re persevering,” she said.

“You see their journey and in six months you see their growth. Six months in anybody’s lifetime is really, really short and when you see that happening you are so inspired. Every day I’m inspired.”