MESSAGE FROM OUR CEO
Welcome to another edition of our newsletter and I hope that as you read this you are well and enjoying this wonderful winter weather. At Ishar we have had several wonderful events in the last three months due to support from various organisations.Thanks to funding from Lotterywest the WA Ballet company was able to provide free tickets for clients to see a performance of the famous La Sylphide ballet and we are particularly grateful to the WA Sikh community for donating their bus and driver to transport our clients to and from the ballet.
Ishar staff and their families were also offered free tickets to a performance by WASO for the Rusty Orchestra and those who were able to attend had an enjoyable evening.
Carers WA funded Ishar to have a pamper day for carers to enjoy a massage and reflexology sessions and while carers were being pampered other clients were invited to see a play on domestic violence, thanks to Marilyn Metta and Curtin University.
Additionally clients attending the domestic violence support group were treated to a home cooked meal hosted by members of the Zonta Club of Perth at one of their member’s homes. The ladies and their children who went for the lunch enjoyed the occasion. Zonta Club of Perth’s continued support of the domestic violence program is deeply appreciated.
In addition to these exciting events we have had our usual programs and services and have also been busy developing our website, Facebook page and Instagram pages which are now live. Please follow us on Instagram and Facebook and send these on to your networks to follow as well.
Next term we will be continuing our domestic violence support group and are grateful to the WA Police department for the small grant that will enable us to continue our work with women experiencing domestic violence.
We are also excited to be launching a new project ‘Financial Literacy and its impact on Health and Wellbeing’ which will comprise of a series of financial literacy workshops for women. This project is supported by the Office of Multicultural Interests and Chloe Low a financial professional and migrant herself who will be doing pro bono work in developing all the material for the workshops and online resources.
On behalf of our clients and staff I would like to specially thank Janice Schekkerman who has been volunteering her time and skills to help women learn English. Jan and her husband will be travelling within Australia and overseas to teach English and we wish them the very best.
Till our next newsletter I hope you remain well and full of joy. Don’t forget to check us out on Facebook and Instagram!
WEBSITE AND SOCIAL MEDIA
We are excited to announce that Ishar has launched their new website. The new site contains up-to-date information about all our services, activities and staff. The new site also contains referral information and you are able to download our referral forms and current timetables. We hope that you will find the new site easier to negotiate and obtain all the information you are looking for. The address is still the same ‘Ishar.org.au’.
We now have a Facebook and Instagram page so if you would like to keep up to date with everything that is happening at Ishar please follow us. We will be posting regular updates on our programs, staff members and client activities.
We are constantly striving to improve our online profile so if you have any feedback regarding the new website or social media pages please let us know.
facebook@IsharMulticulturalWomensHealthServices
Instagram @isharwomenshealth
LA SYLPHIDE- WA BALLET
His Majesty’s Theatre was the magnificent setting hosting many multicultural women as they watched in awe of the spectacular performance by the West Australian Ballet Company Theatre.
This annual event is possible and with great gratitude to the His Majesty’s Theatre organizers and Lotterywest.
Ishar was delighted to offer 60 complimentary tickets to our clients. The experience is a great way showcase the Ballet skills of performance and storytelling through dance and music. It is a great avenue for broadening cultural awareness of the different arts in Perth and to bring all the community organizations together.
MULTICULTURAL WOMEN’S HEALTH EXPO
We are holding a Women’s Health Expo at Herb Graham Recreation Centre on the 14th September. A number of Organisations specialising in Women Health will be organising stalls covering topics such as Cervical Screens, Cancer Prevention, Diabetes and Hepatitis. Australian Hearing will be offering free hearing tests, University students will be taking blood pressure and providing advice on healthy eating, school lunch boxes, pharmaceutical products and dental care and our fitness and yoga instructors will be holding exercise sessions. If you would like to find out more about our Expo please contact Rachel on rachel@ishar.org.au.
HEART DISEASE IN AUSTRALIA
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Coronary Heart Disease is the leading cause of death for women over 45 in Australia (AIHW 2018). The raise in obesity rates is partly responsible for this trend. Women from refugee and migrant backgrounds are particularly vulnerable to obesity as they adopt the unhealthy aspects of the Australian lifestyle over time (Dept of Health 2014). At Ishar we have number of services to help women make healthy lifestyle changes to improve their health and wellbeing. Our Dietitian specialises in chronic disease management including diabetes and weight loss and provides one on one consultations. The Exercise Physiologist runs programs for women with complex conditions or who find it difficult to exercise regularly and we have a fitness program on Fridays including exercise and yoga classes. Please contact us to find out more about these services.
THANK YOU
The Neighbourhood Mothers Program is a thriving hive of multicultural women meeting every week, and like busy bees, are helping each other. Knowledge gained from speakers and individual skills are shared in the collective to enhance family lifestyles. Household budgets can be tight, especially when you have a young family and your income is small. That’s when we get a wonderful surprise from other helping organizations.
This time we say a big THANK YOU to the following organizations for helping women across all of our programs:
Zonta -Donated fabrics for sewing and second-hand machines
Share the Dignity -Donated many boxes Womens personal Hygiene products
The Nappy Collective– Donated many boxes of nappies for newborns to Infants. Thanks to Shirley Anne Fortina, Director – The POD Consultancy Pty Ltd, for the initial contact and to Lani Masuku CEO, The Nappy Collective, for the continued support.
St Bartholomew’s House donated many boxes of assorted soaps, shampoos, conditioners.
St Bartholomew’s House was established in 1963 as a homeless men’s shelter and has a long history of assisting and empowering people who are experiencing, or are at risk of, homelessness to rebuild their lives, regain control and achieve positive life outcomes that will enable them to transition to long-term stable housing. There are 9000 people experiencing homelessness on any given night in Western Australia. St Bart’s Accommodation Services, Aged Care Services, Mental Health Support Services, and Tenancy and Property Services deliver community-based support, accommodation and assistance to these individuals.
