News

Sisters standing strong through Dilly Bag Program

Tue, 08 Apr 2014 06:52:00

Promoting Aboriginal women’s strengths and resilience is the aim of an innovative program being rolled out to Aboriginal women in Swan Hill and Robinvale.

Known as the Dilly Bag Program, the project is part of the Victorian Government’s Reducing Violence Against Women and Their Children Grants initiative, under the Koori Community Safety Grants program.
Women gathered in Swan Hill last week (March 26 – 28) for a three-day workshop conducted by the Dilly Bag founders, Kelly Faldon and Wanda Braybrook, on behalf of the Aboriginal Family Violence Prevention and Legal Service Victoria.  A further Dilly Bag event will take place in Robinvale later this month.
The MDAS project officer Ada Peterson said the program aimed to help women identify, understand and build on their cultural identity.
“It’s women’s business, so we don’t talk about the detail of what happens in the Dilly Bag Program – but what we can say is that it focusses on reconnecting women with their culture and themselves,” Ms Peterson said.
The Dilly Bag program is one part of a wider community safety project aiming to bring about long-term change for Aboriginal women in different ways.
The Aboriginal Family Violence Prevention Legal Service Victoria’s Chief Executive Officer, Antoinette Braybrook, said “Initiatives such as Dilly Bag assist Koori women to identify their strengths and unlock their potential. This reduces women’s vulnerability to family violence and has longer term benefits for not just the women that participate but also for their families and the broader community.
The program also provides participants with a stong social support base.
“We work with groups in local communities such as Swan Hill and Robinvale to give the women the option for ongoing connection and activity. This provides Koori women with the support they need to continue to make healthy life choices” stated Ms Braybrook.
Ms Peterson said a range of initiatives were important to deal with family violence rates in the Mallee community that are up to 40 percent above the State average.
“Family violence is a factor in almost every file held in MDAS’s family services area,” Ms Peterson said.
“MDAS will continue to support intiatives that encourage the Koori community, and in particular young people, to speak out about family violence and say that ‘violence is not our way’,” Ms Peterson concluded.
The Robinvale Dilly Bag program is being supported by Robinvale District Health, and will be held on April 29 and 30. Bookings can be made through the Murray Valley Aboriginal Cooperative on 5026 3353.