Naydia Dooley, a Year 11 student who lives and learns with her 14-month-old daughter, Thea, at Cape York Girl Academy (CYGA) in Cairns, admits she wasn’t always a model student.

The 18-year-old Wik Mungkan and Wadjigu girl from Pormpuraaw and Woorabinda, says there has been a profound shift in the way she views the world these days compared to her younger years.

“I am Thea’s mum I love her endlessly; she is my motivation to keep going through life. Being a mother has changed me a lot. Before this, I was running amock. Thinking about what my future looked like back then, it wouldn’t be good.

“I used to fight all the time and get into trouble. I never had the responsibility of having to look after someone else before. Now, all my focus is on her and what she needs. It’s kept me away from all that other trouble. It’s a full-time job being a mum, they need you!”

Now emerging as a young leader in her community, Naydia was recently invited to speak at the Early Years Conference in Cairns, where she made the presentation: “A Village Raises a Child; Providing opportunities for young women to continue their secondary education while being a mum at school.”

She spoke of her experiences at the first-of-its-kind boarding school for teenage Indigenous mums and their babies along with other young women who are at risk of disengaging with their education.

As a young mother wanting to go forward in life, she says the CYGA was the perfect place to study and actively raise her daughter. It has been “challenging but rewarding”.

“Cape York Girl Academy gives chances to students unlike other schools. The school is non-judgemental about your past and that gives me the confidence and sense of belonging, when other schools don’t, to complete my education to the best of my ability. 

“Thea loves it here. At first, she wasn’t too sure because there are so many girls and people around. Then she started to get used to people and now she’ll go to everyone, she’s a very social girl. The girls love having Thea around. They fight over who’s going to hold her.

“When I need a break, they’ll take her straight away. I don’t feel worried because I know she’s safe with them and she knows them very well.”

Naydia has transformed from a restless 17-year-old into an ambitious and loving 18-year-old mum in her time there.

“I love being here, away from everything. The environment is calm, and everyone is friendly, and the school is so supportive. If Thea has kept me up and I haven’t had a good sleep, they let me rest. They encourage you to get into class. I like being in class because the teachers make it fun. I can come up to the day care whenever I want to see Thea if I’m worried about her.

“I like all my classes and I love learning.”

This year Mercy Works is proudly funding new technology for a Multi-Sensory Calming De-escalation Room to enhance our goal of growing effective and confident mothers, happy and confident children, and provide young Indigenous women with opportunities for growth and success in every aspect of their lives.

With the end of Term 3 holidays approaching, a classroom will be repurposed during the holiday break while the students are not on site, and allow the facilities team to paint and set up the room for Term 4.

“Students can go to this room to feel transported into a familiar setting before they lose control. Here they can take time to centre themselves,” says Principal Mandy Ross.

“As a forward-thinking school, The Cape York Girl Academy want to elevate the level of therapeutic intervention available on campus and provide spaces where students can go before they have physical or emotional outbursts, which can often mean they lost hours of learning time. The room will reduce this time to 15 minutes.”

All girls are supported by qualified trauma-informed staff and the space is co-designed with students to create familiar imagery, sounds and smells as well as specialist multi-sensory toys.

With only one year to go at the Girl Academy, Naydia is currently busily working on her Cert II Hospitality theory and also is studying to take her Learners Drivers License test in the next two weeks. She says she is very much looking forward to getting her L’s and practising driving.

And while she can’t imagine being anywhere else, she is looking forward to life ahead with Thea.

“I really like working with children. I’m considering becoming a primary school teacher. I really want to inspire and help other young mums out there to get to school and encourage young girls to keep going for their dreams, to never give up. 

“I was on a long-term order and I’m starting to come out of child safety now. So having Thea full-time is a really big thing for me. She’s very smart. I try to teach her things. She’ll be able to speak so many different languages.

“My biggest hope is just to have a good life with Thea and to always have her by my side. I just want to be happy and calm and give her the best life possible. I want to get a good job so I can give her things that I didn’t have when I was younger, but I want her to appreciate those things as well.”

She cites Thea as her absolute motivation to keep going through life. “I love her endlessly”.

Images courtesy of Cape York Girl Academy

Empowering the everyday lives of the women of our Baabayn Mums & Bubs Group to grow into their potential and to contribute to an Aboriginal-led movement for better outcome for First Nations women and children is one of the key goals of this Mercy Works partnership project.

And this year is already providing spectacular results!

In May, nine of the mums of Baabayn were invited to showcase their artworks in an immersive display of art projections as the centrepiece of Crown Sydney’s inaugural Vivid Sydney activation, The Gallery.

The spectacular lighting projections created a 160km walk through experience along the landmark Wulugul Walk at Barangaroo, bringing to life the works of the talented Baabayn mums and other First Nations students from Blacktown and Redfern. This was part of the Solid Ground program for Western Sydney’s emerging artists.

Not only did the artworks transform Crown Sydney into a stunning visual gallery of light projections, but the mums were also invited to a VIP cocktail party at The Crown Hotel where they and their families were treated to a media event celebrating the success and stories behind the art and the artists.

“All of the mums were excited to visit Sydney City and view their artwork and to share on their pride and happiness on their social media,” says Amanda Peachey, a program support worker at Baabayn.

“We have seen an increase in confidence from the artists themselves, showing enthusiasm to continue to paint and share their experiences and a few of the artists have since been approached for commission pieces and grown their business portfolios.”

The Wednesday program has opened up many business opportunities which increased financial independence for the mums involved. The mums have since held a fete stall of artworks, jewellery, clothing and pieces created by themselves at a Baabayn NAIDOC event with more markets to come.”

Mercy Works is proud to support the “bubs” component of the group which engages Aboriginal children in cultural, educational, health-promoting and healing activities in weekly three-hour sessions. This includes storytelling, learning culture, native gardening projects, motor skills activities and pre-school literacy and learning sessions.

Meanwhile, their mums participate in programs like Real Futures Job Training ‘Bring Your Bills Day’ with Legal Aid and The Western Sydney Local Health District’s Public Health Unit for a breast cancer ‘Bedazzled Bras’ initiative. Other aspects have included dealing with Government departments like Birth Deaths and Marriages and the Learning Driver Mentor Program. It’s designed to empower, promote healthy lifestyles, and enhance life skills.

For mum of three, Alycia Nicholson, the opportunity to show her artwork has been a “highlight” of her time at Baabayn.

“Having an art piece has made me so proud of myself and now my children are participating in more programs that Baabayn have to offer. The program gives me confidence to be able to teach my children about their heritage, it also give me the opportunity to meet other mums who have the same or similar situations to my own.”

Alycia, 28, is not Aboriginal. Her children are Indigenous from their father’s side. “My children are from the Dharug tribe, and I am doing all that I can to help them along with their cultural journey by participating in cultural activities,” says Alycia, who is also full-time carer for her niece.

“When I initially started, the mums and bubs group was focused on Indigenous arts and telling my story of involvement for my children. I was culturally accepted as an individual, but also as a mother taking in knowledge to be able to teach my own kids.”

Part of Baabayn’s philosophy is that it is designed to empower not only Aboriginal women but also non-Aboriginal mothers of Aboriginal children.

“My life has changed in a cultural way. Being a part of an Aboriginal community has helped me explain so many more thing to my children, things they didn’t know and helped them with their identity and to be proud of their aboriginality.

“The program has helped me identify different culturally safe services that can provide help for my children with their needs, whether that be medical or educational. I like that this program gives me confidence to be able to teach my children about their heritage.”

All Photos: Courtesy of Baabayn Aborginal Corporation

“Whilst we can’t change the overall landscape within which our community lives, we can provide a safe and respectful space where culture is embraced, and exploration and reconnection is encouraged and supported.”

– Claire Fleckner (Kura Yerlo Inc)

NUTRITIONAL PORRIDGES

Timor-Leste remains one of the poorest nations in the world. Maucatar is a remote mountainous area where there is severe malnutrition and high mortality rates. There is little or no access to water, sanitation, education or infrastructure.

It’s here Mercy Works partners with the Hospitaller Sisters of Mercy to deliver the Maucatar Nutritional Hygiene Project” in Cova Lima in Timor-Leste.

It aims to improve the nutritional status of mothers and young children who attend the maternity clinic and outreach programs in the Maucatar catchment area.

While we provide holistic care to malnourished children and antenatal and postnatal mothers through clinical care, and nutrition through eggs and egg-laying hens, our Health Education and Nutrition program, run by Sr Gilbert Pathrose, is educating villages on how to provide and cook nutritional meals.

Here are some of their recipes which are saving lives!

1. Mung Bean Porridge Mixture

• 25g mung beans (2 dessert spoons)
• 10g milk power (2 spoons)
• 5g maize flour (1 spoon)
• 10g sugar (1 spoon)
• 10g oil (1 spoon)

To Prepare:

• Boil mung beans in water and add the oil until cooked (or for 30 mins)
• Add sugar, milk power and maize flour and mix well
• Give to the child twice daily

2. Rice Based (Low Lactose) Milk

• 85mls Full fat liquid milk or 11g full fat dried milk powder
• 15g Rice
• 3.5g pre-cooked vegetable oil
• 3g sugar
• 200ml water
• Blend milk, rice, oil and sugar and then mix water

3. Low Osmolar (cereal based) milk

• 25g Dried Skim Milk Powder
• 10g sugar
• 35g dry cereal flour
• 30g/35ml vegetable oil
• 20ml CMV (1/2 red scoop)
• 1L of boiled water
• Mix the sugar, oil and CMV to a paste and then slowly add the warm boiled water. Make up to 1 Litre. If available electrically bland or hand whisk. Cook for 4 minutes

4. No-Milk (Lactose Free) diet

• Whole egg (raw) OR 60g Cooked Chicken
• 3g rice
• 4g pre-cooked vegetable oil
• 3g sugar
• 200ml water
• blend together and cook

A BRAVE HEART AND A BOLD MIND

When Peace Aziawor, 19, arrived in Ballarat in Victoria in 2011 from Togo, West Africa, she was scared, painfully shy and didn’t want to be seen as different.

So worried was she about standing out, she asked to not be removed from the classroom at Phoenix College for her one-on-one sessions  with her Mercy Connect volunteer, Margaret Adams.

It took her a whole year before agreeing to work together with Margaret in the library.

Fast forward five years, and there is little chance Peace does not stand out. In fact, the full-time dentistry nurse studying for her Certificate III is a star soccer player and has just completed the Rotary Youth Leadership Award Program (RYLA) after being nominated by the Rotary Club of Wendouuree Breakfast.

The program is for inspired young adults to unlock their leadership potential, set goals for the future and to challenge themselves personally. Peace says she overcame one of her biggest fears while at the camp.

“RYLA has really taught me what it means to be a leader, not just to a group of people but how to lead yourself on the right path,” says Peace.

“I learned how setting goals is really important and mostly I learnt – and had the courage – to get up and speak in front of a group of people, which is a fear of mine.

“I will be taking that step with me if there ever comes a time I have to speak in public!” She still catches up with her mentor Margaret at least once a month.

“I call if I need help or just to chat about life,” she says. “After just a few minutes of talking to her I realised how great a mentor she already was. She was so helpful.”

Peace credits Margaret with many of her achievements. “Without Margaret in my life, I honestly wouldn’t be where I am today, in my career and just mentally, from helping me with my studies and just being there for me when I needed her.”

Margaret, a semi-retired teacher, says mentoring is a two-way street and that Peace has “enriched” her life.

“She joined us for a big gathering on Boxing Day and a family lunch for Easter.”

Up next, Peace hopes to travel as much as she can “and be happy in my life and my career”.

Her advice for any refugee or asylum seeker students arriving at a new school “would be cliched!” she laughs: “Be Brave, have an open mind and trust it will turn out for the best. Just never give up, to never doubt yourself – even though your mind tells you otherwise.”

Peace was part of our Mercy Connect Ballarat Volunteer Mentoring Program. We are so grateful to the Ballarat Foundation @ballaratfoundation for their ongoing support of Mercy Connect Ballarat.

Their grant provides important resources for our volunteers who provide in-class mentoring support for refugees and asylum seeker students at schools in the region of Ballarat. Thank you!

Photo Captions: (Top Left) Peace Aziawor (Top Right & Bottom Left) Peace on RYLA Camp in Melbourne (Bottom Right) Gitte Lindgaard (President RC of Wendouree Breakfast and MC mentor) Huy Nguyen (Youth Director) Peace Aziawor, Margaret Adams (Mercy Connect mentor) and Clare Bennett (Mercy Connect Ballarat Coordinator)

All Friday mornings are a happy and busy time at the Adult Literacy Class, our Mercy Connect class run at the Dandenong Library in Melbourne for adult refugees and asylum seekers looking to improve their English. The Program, run with the generous support of donors like The Jack Brockhoff Foundation, recommenced earlier this year.

But one Friday in May was even more exciting, says Sr Mary Lewis, our Mercy Connect Program Coordinator in Melbourne

“It was the first lesson after EID – the Muslim Feast at the conclusion of Ramadan,” explains Sr Mary.

The religious holiday, Eid al-Fitr, is celebrated by Muslims worldwide because it marks the end of the month-long dawn-to-sunset fasting of Ramadan.

“The previous Friday, one of the students presented us with a note asking to throw a party. It was decided that everyone could bring something to share and we could all celebrate. All were happy and agreed.”

But come Friday 4th May and the volunteer tutors were there on time, as always, but no students.

“We wondered if they thought we were going to celebrate at a restaurant or somewhere else!” says Sr Mary.

“But one by one they began to arrive each carrying some delicious food they had prepared that morning. There were Cambodian donuts, Aussie Anzac Biscuits, Afghan Bread in multiple varieties, Spicy Chicken wings and Biryani, Afghani dumplings, sandwiches,  chocolate, cakes and chips to name a few.”

The host of the party disappeared half way through the morning and returned with a shopping trolley laden with beautiful hot food and salads.

“It was a little like the loaves and fishes where everyone was treated to a feast,” says Sr Mary. “There was much sharing and chatter among students and tutors and it was obvious that no one had any problem with Afghan food.  Not much was left over and that was happily shared among all, tutors and students, and taken home to family.

“A happy time was had by all!”

Mercy Works especially wishes to thank The Jack Brockhoff Foundation for their support towards our Mercy Connect Adult Literacy Class at the Dandenong Library.

SOWING SEEDS OF JOY IN PNG

Which is why the latest Cocoa Cash Crop initiative, which began as a tiny bud of an idea by our Mercy Works Project Coordinator in Kiunga, Steven Dude, is generating much excitement.

“People are full of joy when the MW Kiunga team is in their villages…. They feel our presence brings hope and satisfaction,” Steven says via zoom from Kiunga.

Stuck in the mud! Pushing cocoa bud seedlings uphill! 

Cocoa bud seedlings loaded to be transported to Iowara for planting

Peace and prosperity were not always words associated with this region. It is home to over 10,000 West Papuan refugees who fled strife and sought protection in PNG territory in 1984 when the Indonesian military took occupation.