The Rotary SAFE Families Inclusive Communities Initiative is a project partnership between the Rotary Clubs of Melbourne and Hawthorn with Ahmed Tohow and Peter Berg representing Rotary Melbourne on the leadership team.
The Inclusive Communities Initiative is directed towards the culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities with the initial project focussed on the African Australian community. Collaborations are underway with local communities and organisations where a Workshop session has been developed to inform Community Leaders on how to effectively take the important evidence based Rotary SAFE Families messages into their local communities.
As part of these collaborations, an event was held in Shepparton on Saturday 14th October to which representatives of St. Paul’s African House and the Ethnic Council of Shepparton District were invited to attend. Our team from the Rotary SAFE Families project created a day of friendship, inclusivity and fellowship with a group of passionate people wishing to make a difference by working together to prevent family abuse that unfortunately happens across all communities from coercive control to physical harm and to anyone, anywhere, anytime.
Sam Atukorala, the President of the Ethnic Council is also a Rotarian and a number of his Community Leaders as well as African House Leaders were greeted by our Inclusive Communities Initiative team. Our presentation included important messages on how we can all assist in reducing the incidence of family abuse and the important role that Community Leaders can play in supporting and helping their diverse communities in its prevention.
Sam commented that he ‘highly respected our approach which resonated with him and the leaders of the Ethnic Council.’ He was enthusiastic that our Inclusive Communities Initiative has found a holistic approach to the reduction of abuse. He liked the concept of family being kept together and not torn apart but given a chance to work together in improving their family dynamics.
We have been invited back to Shepparton to provide our Workshop and freely downloaded films which include Swahili and Arabic versions for the African House community along with the Guide for Prevention of Family Abuse in Swahili, Arabic, Farsi, Dari, Hindi, Mandarin, Greek and English to the Ethnic Council and African House Community Leaders in the New Year.
We were joined by two Rotary District Governors, Neta Kirby District 9790 and Ron Payne and Deb, District 9800 and representatives from the six Rotary Clubs of the area, Shepparton, Shepparton South and Central, Tatura, Kyabram and Mooroopna.
Our lunch was absolutely wonderful. Lugunya Mazambi, a Community Leader at African House provided us with a selection of beautiful meats and pastries, rice and African donuts! The goat stole the show. Everyone commented that they had never tasted goat meat like Lugunya’s Congolese recipe.
Peter Berg
Ambassador Rotary SAFE Families/Inclusive Communities Initiative
