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Multicultural Centre for Women's Health

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Collingwood, VIC
Multicultural Centre for Women's Health

Australia’s national voice for immigrant and refugee women’s wellbeing Welcome to the MCWH community. We are all in this together.

This is a dedicated space for us to promote our events, stories and projects, and those of our collaborators. Our priority is to hold this space for the voices and wellbeing of migrant and refugee women. We welcome respectful discussions and if necessary we will remove comments to protect people’s privacy, rights and dignity. We hope you enjoy, engage with, and learn from this community.

31/10/2025

In this month’s WRAP we look at:⁠
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✊🏽 Protest, persistence, recognition and resistance⁠
Exploring how migrant and refugee communities are showing strength and solidarity in the face of injustice.⁠
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➡️ Advocacy to Action⁠
Practical ways you can stand in solidarity with migrant and refugee leaders.⁠
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⏱ 60 Seconds with Trini Abascal, Director of Latin Stories Australia⁠
On the power of storytelling and community.⁠
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✉️ Read the full edition here: https://mailchi.mp/mcwh/wrapedition150_octobert2025
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Alt text:
An image of five women and one man smiling and wearing keffiyehs while holding a large Palestinian flag at a protest in Melbourne. Image from ABC News: Natalie Whiting.
Text on the image reads: #150 THE WRAP. This month’s WRAP takes a look at protest, persistence, recognition and resistance. Our Advocacy in Action segment has a list of how you can stand in solidarity with migrant and refugee leaders, plus 60 Seconds with Trini Abascal, Director of Latin Stories Australia. Image credit: ABC News, Natalie Whiting.

24/10/2025

Join us at Thrive Festival next Saturday at Fed Square!

We’ll be running three mini health education sessions on menopause, breast screening and mental health. If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about these topics in a supportive, culturally inclusive space — this is for you.

Register for your place here: https://thrivewomensfestival.com/workshops/

Thrive Festival is a celebration of multicultural women and their wellbeing, featuring performances, workshops and community connection. Come along, say hi and learn something new!

20/10/2025

Delivering a national health program is not a small task. It takes strong partnerships, ongoing capacity building, and a deep commitment to the communities we work with.

For the past four years, we’ve learned this firsthand by building a national infrastructure to deliver the Health in My Language program. Since then, we’ve employed, trained and supported more than 60 bilingual health educators across Australia, in partnership with seven organisations.

In this video, our partners share what it means to be part of this national program, supported by MCWH’s 47 years of experience delivering bilingual health education.

08/10/2025

👉 44 bilingual health educators
👉 8 states and territories represented
👉 1 unique opportunity to come together

After three years of delivering Health in My Language, our national team of bilingual health educators came together for the first time face-to-face at the “My Health, My Language” national forum in Naarm (Melbourne).
We asked them “What does it mean to meet in person with the national team today?” and here’s what they had to say...

Alt text: footage shows people meeting and socialising at an event in a one of the rooms in Melbourne Town Hall, followed by a vox pop with seven people speaking directly to the camera and sharing their thoughts.

01/10/2025

We’re seeking a new Treasurer to join the MCWH Board. This voluntary position plays a key role in ensuring the financial health and sustainability of our organisation, which has championed migrant and refugee women’s health and wellbeing since 1978.⁠
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Join us if you have senior-level experience in finance, accounting or risk management, and a passion for advancing gender equality, health and rights for migrant and refugee women and gender diverse people. ⁠
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Applications close: 5:00 PM AEDT, 5th October 2025. ⁠
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Apply through EthicalJobs: https://www.ethicaljobs.com.au/members/MCWH_Executive/board-treasurer
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Alt text: A group of diverse women from the MCWH Board stand together smiling in front of a light purple background. Below them, a bold purple banner with an orange border displays the text ‘Recruiting Board Treasurer.’ Underneath, white text reads ‘Voluntary position, Two-year term.’ At the bottom, a pill shape features the text ‘Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health.’

29/09/2025

In this month’s WRAP we look at:⁠
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🌏 What bilingual health education makes possible⁠
How bilingual health educators are transforming health education across Australia. ⁠
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➡️ Advocacy to Action ⁠
Practical steps you can take to support bilingual health education and the skilled workforce behind it. ⁠
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⏱ 60 Seconds with Alexandra Rijavec, Health Education Manager at MCWH ⁠
On what multiculturalism means to her.
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✉️ Read the full edition here: https://mailchi.mp/mcwh/wrapedition148_august2025-10138413
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Alt text:⁠
An image of a woman at a Health in My Language session at the Red Cross in the Northern Territory. She looks at a contraceptive pill packet while a bilingual health educator speaks in the background. Text on the image reads: #148 THE WRAP⁠
This month’s WRAP takes a look at what bilingual health education makes possible with a reflection on the recent Health in My Language Forum. Our Advocacy in Action segment has 6 practical actions, plus 60 seconds with MCWH’s Health Education Manager Alexandra Rijavec.

24/09/2025

To hear directly from women who have participated in the Health in My Language program across Australia confirms what we know: tailored, culturally and linguistically responsive health education makes a real difference to the health and wellbeing of migrant and refugee women.

So far, more than 8,000 women and gender-diverse people have participated in this program, learning about sexual and reproductive health in the languages they know best, and from bilingual health educators they trust.

Every story shared is a reminder that when health information is accessible and culturally relevant, communities feel empowered to make informed choices.

👉 Want to learn more about the Health in My Language program? Visit www.mcwh.com.au/health-in-my-language

A big thank you to our wonderful partners across Australia for making this national program possible:
True Relationships & Reproductive Health
Australian Red Cross
Ishar Multicultural Women’s Health Services Inc

Women's Health Matters

22/09/2025

Last Friday, we gathered at Melbourne Town Hall for the first-ever My Health, My Language Forum — a national event celebrating the power of language, culture, and community in improving health for migrant and refugee women.

The forum was opened by The Hon Mary-Anne Thomas MP, Minister for Health and Minister for Ambulance Services, and featured the launch of the Health in My Language Sexual and Reproductive Health Evaluation Report by The Hon Rebecca White MP, Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, Indigenous Health and Women.

The report shows the real impact of the HiML program: women gaining knowledge, confidence, and the ability to share health information within their communities. You can read the full HiML evaluation report and summary here: https://www.mcwh.com.au/health-in-my-language-2024-25-evaluation-report/

Highlights of the day included:
🔹 A moving keynote from bilingual health educators May Alqas Alias (MCWH) and Israa Sedda (Ishar Multicultural Women’s Health Services Inc, WA).
🔹 The premiere of our Health in My Language Impact Video.
🔹 A thought-provoking panel on the future of bilingual health education, featuring experts including Dr Regina Torres-Quiazon (MCWH), Jasmine Phillips (cohealth), Hamidah Hassani (Australian Red Cross SA), and Anushe Khan (Women's Health Matters, ACT).
🔹 Afternoon discussion circles, where participants shared ideas on how to keep building momentum and impact together.

The energy in the room was incredible, a true reflection of the commitment across communities and organisations to ensure migrant and refugee women have access to health information they can trust, in the languages they know best.

Thank you to everyone who joined us to make this historic gathering so special. Together, we’re shaping a healthier, more inclusive future. 💜

01/09/2025

It’s Women’s Health Week (1–5 September), Australia’s biggest celebration of the health and wellbeing of all women, girls and gender-diverse people. 💜

This year’s theme, Say yes to you, is all about putting your health first. Each day will focus on a different health topic to inspire you to prioritise your wellbeing.

As a proud partner of Jean Hailes, MCWH is joining the call to say yes — to rest, to movement, to connection, to care, and to yourself.

Learn more about Women's Health Week here: https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/womens-health-week

28/08/2025

In this month's WRAP we look at:

❤️‍🩹Reproductive justice: a right, not a product.
How is international students' access to reproductive healthcare changing, and what does it mean for women international students?

➡️ Advocacy in Action
What can you do to build a more inclusive and responsive system for international students facing health inequity?

🌆60 Seconds feature with Daphne Julin, Founder of Warm Planet
Daphne's project aims to amplify public messaging of initiatives, organisations and places in Melbourne that are driven by social causes.

✉️ Read the full edition here: https://mailchi.mp/mcwh/wrapedition148_august2025

27/08/2025

At the My Health, My Language Forum, you’ll hear from leading experts in bilingual health education – including educators with lived experience and deep community knowledge.

Their stories will challenge, inspire, and empower all of us to reimagine what health equity can look like.

🗓️ Friday 19 September | 📍 Melbourne Town Hall
🎟️ Ticket sales close soon!

https://events.humanitix.com/himl-forum

Alt text: In an orange speech bubble: Hear keynote speeches by experts in bilingual health education. Two photos of bilingual health educators are below. May Alqas Alias and Israa Sedda. In a blue speech bubble: My Health, My Language: A National Bilingual Health Educator Forum – September 19 – Naarm/Melbourne. The MCWH Logo and HiML logo are on the post.

21/08/2025

The first national in-person gathering of the Health in My Language bilingual health educator workforce is finally here.

Join us to celebrate this vital community-led workforce that is changing the way health care is delivered – with language, respect, and cultural connection at its heart.

🗓️ Friday 19 September
📍 Naarm/Melbourne
🎟️ Open to all – bilingual educators, community workers, health professionals, and supporters welcome!

https://events.humanitix.com/himl-forum

Alt text: In a large, multi-coloured speech bubble, text reads: My Health, My Language: A National Bilingual Health Educator Forum. Text outside the bubble reads: The first national in-person gathering of Health in My Language educators – September 19 – Naarm/Melbourne. The MCWH Logo and HiML logo are on the post.

Address

Suite 207, 134 Cambridge Street
Collingwood, VIC
3066

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Telephone

+61394180999

Website

http://www.mcwh.com.au/

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