Vital program is national finalist

It Takes a Village groups in Gosnells, Thornlie and Armadale help migrant and refugee women with young children start new lives in Australia.

The Canberra awards shortlisted the program in the settlement innovation category, which rewards creative methods to support newly arrived refugees, migrants or the local community.

Last year, the Perth program supported 183 families, with 66 per cent refugees from war-torn Burundi, Congo, Rwanda, Myanmar, Somalia, Ethiopia, Iraq, Afghanistan and Sudan.

Program co-ordinator Christine I’Anson said it created a ‘home away from home’ for the women taking part. ‘So many of the women tell us that their lives in Australia started when they came to the program,’ she said.

She said as well as practical assistance, the women gained strength, confidence and skills that transferred to their dealings with the broader community.

‘We see the children grow and develop into very competent, capable and resilient people who are ready to take advantage of all of the opportunities their new lives have created,’ she said.