Mary came to Australia 4 years ago and spent the first half of that time isolated at home, experiencing a deep sorrow for being so far from her children still in Sri Lanka. Days would go by and to Mary a Monday was no different to a Friday, and although Australia was a safe new country, the feeling of not belonging was too strong. The language barrier stopped her from making friends and friends was Read more…
Chances are that, if you call yourself a Melburnian, you are in love with that dark, bitter and addictive substance that is sold by the millions every day in our lovely city: yes, we are talking about coffee. The origins of the drink are as dark and mysterious as coffee itself, and SisterWorks is ready to bring you on a journey of discovery. Where does coffee come from and what is exactly a “coffee ceremony”? Read more…
The Melbourne Fashion Week is over and it has left us wanting more glamour and spark, especially with so many new green and sustainable fashion choices. This fairly recent tendency keeps involving more and more brands and fashion designers, which are going all-in with thoughtful business practices. The best part is, you don’t need to go too far to find social enterprises that are making magic happen every single day. SisterWorks is here to provide the Read more…
Indulging in a glass or two of wine after work was routine for Jamie, a freelance professional who works in Melbourne CBD, but when he heard of “dry July“, he loved the idea of ditching alcohol for one month to support a charitable activity. To make things more interesting, Jamie now has his very own tradition of going sober for the whole month of August every year, and donating the money saved to a different Read more…
The war on plastic has been constantly on the news for years. Our oceans are filling up with waste, animals are suffering, beaches are being destroyed and, ultimately, the health of us humans is in danger, too. We get it. The real question is: how can we keep living our daily lives with ease, without trashing the planet? As many of you already know, it is harder said than done. Eco-Friendly wraps for the kitchen. Read more…
*By Daria Impiombato Australia is a country of migrants. After the two world wars, it welcomed thousands of Europeans running from poverty. It then became the dream destination for newcomers from all the corners of the world, in search of a brighter future. It is now home to millions of people of all nationalities and backgrounds. They all came here with goals and dreams in mind, but they were not given the same tools to Read more…
We hit the 5th-anniversary mark and we celebrated as the family we are. Past and present entrepreneurs, staff and board members, volunteers, sponsors, and partners, we all got together to see the amazing changes SisterWorks has gone over the past 5 years. THANK YOU! Thanks to the first nine women who believed in SisterWorks and from that point to everyone who has supported our family in any way. We know SisterWorks has changed a lot of Read more…
I started to learn about women’s economic empowerment through my own experience as a political asylum seeker woman in Australia with little English, hardly any money, few connections and without work opportunities. For me, my key questions were how to pay my bills by using my existing skills and how to give back to my new society, which had given me the chance to start again. Today, nearly eight years after I arrived in this Read more…
A picture that Luz’s daughter drew when Luz first put together her pitch for the Multicultural Centre I met Anne when she was a volunteer teacher at the Community Centre in Mornington. She was there just for me, unlike the other community centres where I was just one more person. Although it is easier for me to read and write, we agreed that we would work on conversational English. For once in my life in Read more…
October 2010. Three months in Australia and I had an appointment in the city to work as a volunteer at the handicraft store of a religious Catholic congregation. It would be a wonderful place to practice English, make friends and feel useful I thought. I had never caught a train. With Sergio working and Lucrecia at school, I had to do it alone. I had to leave my new house, that little refuge where I Read more…