Empowering women's health
How Polaron helped support migrant women in accessing health information
Overview
City of Casey is one of the most diverse municipalities
in Australia. The Council is passionate about improving the health and well-being of Casey women. They are committed to helping all Casey women, no matter their age and background, to be able to access health support services available to them.
The campaign
Polaron collaborated with the City of Casey to provide Dari interpreting services for the Women’s Health Circles initiative. The program was designed to support Dari-speaking women aged 55+ from refugee, migrant and newly arrived communities with low literacy levels. We wanted to create a safe, accessible space where they could receive information on health issues that affect them, in their native language, without any language or literacy barriers.
The work
Polaron ensured that a Dari NAATI interpreter, Dari bilingual community member and Polaron staff member were present at each session. The interpreter arrived 15 minutes early to allow for introductions and to ensure the women felt comfortable.
The sessions covered topics such as menopause and perimenopause, symptoms like hot flushes and insomnia and lifestyle management.
This initiative successfully created a safe space for discussing sensitive health topics and helped Dari-speaking women from newly arrived communities to access critical health information. The collaboration strengthened the City of Casey’s outreach to underrepresented groups, ensuring these women could engage with the content and healthcare services available to them.