SisterWorks supports women who are migrants, refugees or asylum seekers to become personally and financially empowered, via the sale of their handmade products
SisterWorks provides a WORKPLACE, LEARNING CENTRE and SALES CHANNELS that is designed to help them overcome significant social and employment challenges. We urgently need to raise $140,000 to provide ongoing support for these women.
You can follow our journey on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Linkedin.
Why It Matters
SisterWorks works specifically with mums and home-carers, who are migrants, refugees or asylum seekers. They are typically long-term unemployed, because they are unfamiliar with Western culture, socially isolated, often illiterate in their first language, and have little or no work experience. They need a specialised approach to overcome these challenges and to secure their movement into work. What makes SisterWorks unique is that we provide them with the initial support on their work and/or entrepreneurial journeys.
When we support them to move into work, this impacts not just the women. It also impacts their families, the future of their children, their communities and our society. We are supporting migrant women to move outside of the welfare systems, allowing these resources to be allocated to new families.
Currently, SisterWorks supports a community of more than 150 women from 55 countries - including 88 Entrepreneurs who are on the way to staring their own business. it is time to prepare ourselves to help more women to support themselves. Our 2020 strategic goal is to support the pathways for 400 women to move into employment and entrepreneurship: 200 women in our Home in Richmond, and another two new regional SisterWorks Homes that will support a further 200 women.
The SisterWorks Home creates a sense of community and social inclusion for migrant women. It also gives them a purpose and a place to socialise in a new country. Without such a place to come to and connect, these women become isolated. Also, SisterWorks’ workshop, retail store and business hub have enabled these women to create and sell all manner of wares for profit that will help them re-build their lives.
However, there are many more Sisters that need our help. Most of the money from sales of the products goes to the women. So, we need your support to help pay for the SisterWorks Home which enables us to operate.
To sustain our current operations SisterWorks needs to raise $140,000 in the next three months. – And an additional $60,000 to establish a second house in regional Victoria.
Who We Are
SisterWorks was formed in May 2013 by Luz Restrepo, a political asylum seeker, and 14 other new migrant women who were all facing the same issues: how to earn an income, while simultaneously learning English and making a contribution to their new community. With a lot of human investment and very little money, for the first three years these women (‘the Founding Entrepreneurs’) worked in shared spaces and attended not-for-profit markets to sell their wares.
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By February 2016, as word spread about the potential for SisterWorks to change lives, SisterWorks was able to raise the funds that allowed us to employ our first staff members and rent our current premises located at 393 Swan Street, Richmond (SisterWorks Home).
Today the SisterWorks Home provides training, work experience and work opportunities for the women we support. The SisterWorks Family has more than 150 Sisters: 88 Entrepreneurs, 67 volunteers and four staff members. They are all supported by a Board of 11 members, that's diverse, highly knowledgeable and experienced with good connections and abilities to support the team. Please click here to find out more about the SisterWorks Family
About the REWARDS . All of these products and services are made with love and passion, and ethically produced by new Australian mums and carers.
The little Sisters. Our goal this year is support a further 50 new Sisters: Mums who have just arrived in Australia and are feeling lost in this country, or mums who are unemployed long term because they do not know where or how to start. Our little Sisters - dolls project - is a limited edition made by eight of our Entrepreneurs. Milia from Brazil, a Senior Entrepreneur designed this set of five beautiful dolls. Then she taught junior Entrepreneurs: Mary (Sri Lanka), Dolma (Tibet), Kadhim (Sudan), Soofia (Iran), Faith(Papau New Guinea), Funda (Turkey) and Maria (Brazil). Lhakpa (Tibet), a founding Entrepreneur, who makes and sells soft toys, also mentored this team with her role of quality control. By sponsoring one year for a new Entrepreneur into SisterWorks journey, you will receive one of these little Sisters.
Hands that build lives. These 10 limited edition photos (A2 frame) show how, with our hands, we build not just amazing craft, we build lives. Each photo tells the story of one our Entrepreneurs, e.g. - these are Victoria and Satomi's hands: They are representing two different cultures (Africa and Asia). Together they are exploring new opportunities, making jewellery and complementing their skills. Exploring entrepreneurship is better supported with others. Together, we are strong.
From our Sisters kitchen. Last year we started to make and sell packaged food. This was the most rewarding experience, supporting six women from six different countries (Vajihe/ Iran, Graciela/Uruguay, Macarena/Chile, Joumana/ Siria, Andy/ Hong Kong and Sido/Congo) who have taken their home cooking skills and have started their journey as commercial food producers with the support of Caroline, an Australian professional chef.
This reward will support the basic cost of the next cooking project that will support another five or six new Entrepreneurs.These recipes are made with love from the five continents we come from, each representing the flavour, power and sensual empowerment of our women. Our recipes are guaranteed to bring your home happiness through African, Asian, Middle Eastern, Latin American and European cooking.
We are privileged to have the generous support of:
The Ian Potter Foundation who has pledged the first $70,000 of our campaign. However, we only receive it if we raise another $70,000. In other words, they will match your contribution. How great is that!
With Save the Children we are planning to open our second SisterWorks Home in Shepparton by the end of this year.
