On Saturday 19th October five new organisations joined our grant recipient community, and we couldn’t be happier. Together, our community awarded a total of $211,005 at 100 Women’s 11th Annual Gala Dinner held in Kings Park, Perth.
The 2024 grant recipients were shortlisted from a competitive field of more than 164 applications from Australian organisations running local, national and global grassroots initiatives that support and empower women and girls. The recipients were chosen through a member voting process and include four projects in Australia and one in Cambodia, directly benefiting 323 women and girls.
Below are two of the grant recipient stories.
Homeless Pregnant Women to receive clinical care
The Together Program (TTP), run by Homeless Healthcare is one such recipient this year. A Perth based organisation that provides outreach nurses to support pregnant women experiencing homelessness- either rough sleeping or who have been placed into transitional housing.
In the program, pregnant and post-partum women receive intensive support for 12 months followed by reduced support through the first 1000 days of their child’s life, aiming to keep mother and baby together and provide stability and medical support to ensure better health and life outcomes for both mother and baby.
For first-time mum Jane, TTP meant that despite a challenging past and experiencing long-term homelessness, she was able to provide care and retain custody of her child.
‘I have had mental health challenges and have felt the effects of the trauma that I experienced in my youth. I had been couch surfing whilst pregnant before TTP,’ says Jane.
‘My baby is doing well. I’ve had support to attend mental health appointments and my mental health has improved, I’m getting the help I needed.’
First Nations Project keeping young girls engaged in education
Another popular project to receive funding was from Big hART, an arts and social change organisation that has had a presence in Roebourne since 2012.
The Punkaliyarra Project combines digital arts education with traditional knowledge transfer to build the next generation of female storytellers and leaders. The program leverages local young women’s interests in film, photography, music, dance and social media to build transferable digital skills whilst participating in cultural transmission.
The project was formed as a response to concern from Elders about young women rapidly disconnecting from country and culture. They recognised the need for new pathways to continuing education, employment and identity expression.
With only 37% of young people continuing school beyond year 10 and primary school attendance 50% below WA state average, educational engagement is a persistent challenge for the town. Additionally, Only 28.6% of people over 15 years old have employment, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Many participants, like Alice, have family caring responsibilities or other barriers that make accessing education opportunities difficult. Alice says she has learnt creative digital skills like content creation, and has enjoyed camping on country with senior women and Elders like her grandmother.
“It was so good to be out on country, as soon as I came back to town I just wanted to go out there again. I feel happy and calm hearing stories from my nanna and our Yindjibarndi language,’ says Alice.
100 Women Co-Founder, Alicia Curtis, said these organisations provide crucial ongoing support and care to women and girls in Australia and around the world.
“Each year our members have the important task of voting for their favourite grant finalists after a six month grant-making process. Members are working together as a collective to make significant and positive changes for women and girls. This year, our member voting outcomes were incredibly close which speaks volumes about the quality and critical need of the projects presented to them. These evidence-based programs will be providing safety to women and girls, they will be educating them, improving access to healthcare, and giving opportunities for a brighter future” explained Curtis.
Members also voted for projects supporting the safety of Cambodian girls from human trafficking, a holistic education and support service for young women exiting the Foster Care System and enabling First Nations women to be mentored within their culture and community into the next phase of their lives.
Since 2014, 100 Women have provided almost $1.5 million in financial support for 44 initiatives around the world that have empowered 37,507 women and girls toward a more equitable future.
On the evening we were also able to celebrate our Volunteer of the Year – Belinda Doig from the 100 Women Finance team. For the past five years, Belinda has consistently provided support to the Board, Volunteers and Executive Officer – even whilst she is on holidays on the other side of the world! Her positive energy and professionalism is what makes her such a wonderful and instrumental part of our community. Congratulations Belinda!
Our warmest thanks to all of our sponsors that helped to create such a memorable evening and to all of our volunteers, members and supporters that attended the event.
2024 Grant Recipients:
Homeless Healthcare receives $49,795 to provide additional assertive outreach nursing care to 10 pregnant women who are experiencing homelessness. The Together Program aims to provide stability during pregnancy and for the first two years of a newborn’s life.
The Warrior Woman Foundation based in Western Sydney receives $50,000 to empower 30 women and girls transitioning from foster care to become successful, independent adults and break the generational cycle of trauma and disadvantage.
Big hART receives $49,910 to deliver a leadership and cultural connection program for 25 young Aboriginal women at risk of or already disengaged from education and future employment, using digital arts and reconnecting with traditional knowledge.
Free To Shine receives $30,300 to increase the safety of 48 girls at risk of sex trafficking in Siem Riep, Cambodia. By mitigating immediate risks, providing emergency financial support and human rights education via a family-based model of care, these girls can remain in school.
Ember Connect receives $25,000 to expand a mentoring initiative supporting up to 200 First Nations women nationwide in building social capital, economic independence, and personal growth
