'For her voice, her privacy, her freedom.' The 5 Australian charities actually making a difference for women and girls.

Women and girls across the world are fighting every single day for their stories to be heard and for their lives to be empowered with the privileges we can easily forget about – safety, privacy, freedom, education, choice and opportunity. 

There are *thousands* of incredible charities in Australia furthering causes that directly impact the welfare of women and girls, as well as spreading awareness and knowledge. It’s hard to know where to channel your support first.

This is why Ostelin is using its Project Strong campaign to support everyday people making a positive difference to the lives of others.

They've partnered with the Australian charity 100 Women to help empower and fund women’s and girls' projects through community grants. Since their partnership began in 2022, over 21,000 women and girls have directly benefited. 

Each of the five grassroots charities receiving a grant are working to support women and girls through bettering their health, educational and economic freedom. The line-up of charities includes an organisation working to improve refugee and asylum seeker women and girls’ health literacy, one that provides shelters and transitional accommodation for homeless and marginalised people, and one bringing wellbeing support for families experiencing perinatal mental health issues. 

Mamamia spoke to the five Australian charities you need to know about right now.

Orana House, Jasmyn Hutin. 

Orana House wants women and children to live free from family and domestic violence. 

As Jasmyn Hutin explains it, the organisation offers crisis accommodation, advocacy and support services to women and children before, during and after their experience with violence. 

"I wish people knew how many choices have been taken away from these women, through no fault of their own," says Jasmyn, Orana's Communications Officer.

"They’ve lost their home, their voice, their privacy, their freedom. There is so much we can learn from listening to them, yet in many cases it’s still not safe to speak out about their experience."

There is not nearly enough long-term housing available for those escaping violence in Perth and Orana House is doing all it can to give women and children safe temporary housing as they transition into a new life. 

"In our sector, it can be so disheartening to read all the headlines about another woman violently killed every week," says Jasmyn. "The sheer scale of FDV can feel overwhelming. But every single day, we have the opportunity to walk alongside a woman who has made the courageous first step of seeking help. 

"From here, we can help switch the course of violence for her and her children, and prevent her from becoming another heartbreaking statistic."

Cana Communities, Tor Taranto.

Since 1975, Cana Communities has worked to give shelter and transitional accommodation to homeless and other marginalised people. 

Tor Taranto, Leader WA at Cana Communities, shares how the organisation provides flexible support to vulnerable people. 

"We build relationships and companionship with men and women who find themselves alienated from mainstream society due to various circumstances and complex situations," Tor explains. "Because our approach is based on relationships, we create inclusive communities, nurturing dignity and hope, where people feel like they belong within the structure of a family system."

With the support of Ostelin and 100 Women, Cana will help improve mental and physical health, aid in reducing reliance on alcohol and other drugs and give participants access to work experience opportunities. 

"Through my connection with Cana, I have come to understand the significant struggles of people suffering mental health issues, being in addiction, being institutionalised or isolated and how a lack of support and lack of community makes them feel helpless, hopeless and rejected," says Tor.

The Water Well Project, Zoe Brinsden. 

The Water Well Project works to improve health literacy for women and girls from migrant, refugee and asylum seeker communities in Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales and South Australia. They deliver this through interactive, practical and culturally sensitive health information sessions to community groups. 

As The Water Well Project's Operations Manager, Zoe Brinsden shares how the organisation aims to give equal access to healthcare and its resources. 

"Through our work in communities, we hope to improve the health knowledge of those who attend our health sessions," Zoe explains. "We know participants walk away with a better understanding of the conditions we have discussed and the supporting services that exist to help them."

The Water Well Project works with over 60 migrant and refugee support organisations, including local playgroups, youth groups, schools, community centres and women’s groups.

The Water Well Project develops content and resources, while providing healthcare professionals to facilitate dialogue around health topics that impacts the communities they serve.

"Many of our target communities may be less familiar with preventative health services such as immunisation and cancer screening programs," says Zoe. "This is often due to lower emphasis and accessibility in their countries of origin."

Radiance Network South West, Josephine Stewart. 

The Radiance Network is a perinatal mental health community organisation providing non-clinical wellbeing support for families experiencing perinatal mental health vulnerabilities in the south-west regions of Western Australia.

It's vital for everyone to be aware of the symptoms of perinatal mental health and through the Radiance Network, women are able to receive support and help as a necessity rather than a luxury. 

"It would be so vital in preventative work if health professionals, parents-to-be and the wider community where aware of the symptoms of perinatal mental health challenges," says their Volunteer and Communications Officer, Josephine Stewart.

"When we look at the incredible growth that happens in a baby’s brain in the first 12 months, it is crucial to be providing appropriate support to mum and baby during this time."

At least 80 women will benefit from Ostelin's grant to support the Radiance Network by providing at-home consultations, guidance recovery plans and access to support groups. 

"With the grant from 100 Women, we can visit these mums in the safety of their own home," says Josephine. "We can ensure they’re receiving all the support they require to build their emotional resilience in the early days of parenthood."

The Hunger Project Australia, Stephanie Tucker. 

Every single year, The Hunger Project supports close to 12 million people through programs led by local communities in Africa, India, Bangladesh and Latin America. 

Their Head of Philanthropy, Stephanie Tucker says it is "unacceptable" that 783 million people live in hunger, 25,000 people a day die from hunger and that 12 million girls are forced into marriage because their family are met with impossible choices. 

"We don’t accept that the world has to be this way," says Stephanie. "We know our proven model is scalable. We’re reaching 12 million people a year currently, and in the next five years, we want that number to accelerate to match the urgent need around the world."

Every day, The Hunger Project works to end hunger and poverty by giving sustainable, women-centred strategies across the world. 

With the help of Ostelin and 100 Women, the organisation will decrease the rate of early childhood marriage in Bihar, increase the numbers of girls saying ‘no’ to childhood marriage, increase the number of girls staying in school and increase the number of girls completing their education. 

The Hunger Project also aims to increase the leadership capacity of the participants, increase the number of safe spaces for girls via Social Girls Clubs in place across schools and improve overall advocacy for girls' rights and improve awareness and understanding of this issue.

Stephanie explains that the women and girls who bravely share their stories every day inspire her to continue. 

"The stories from the brave and resilient women and girls who have rewritten their own story with our support," she says. "Like Mustarifa, who is 16 and wants to be a doctor and was able to advocate against the forced marriage arranged by her parents. Or like Bharti who told us: 'I want to be seen as a girl who can do anything.' Or like Kalpana who wants to become a police officer to stop caste violence and violence against women. Or Ruskana, who dreams of a more equal and just world and wants to become a campaigner for human rights."

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Feature Image: Ostelin.