A PROGRAM which offers care, education and support for women from African backgrounds has celebrated its sixth month of operation at Sunshine Hospital.
The Western Health’s African Women’s Wellness Program was established in September last year and is led by clinical midwife consultant, Annette Garvey-Graham.
“It’s mainly women from the western suburbs (who attend the program) – Brimbank, Sunshine, Footscray, some even come from as far away as Tarneit,” Ms Garvey-Graham said.
She said out of the 5000 births at Sunshine Hospital last year, more than seven per cent were to African mothers.
Ms Garvey-Graham said some of the women she worked with, from traumatic and war-torn backgrounds, were not familiar with the Australian medical system.
“The women are intelligent but for a lot of them English isn’t their first language,” she said.
“We have a great interpreter, and with my previous experience I do speak a bit of Arabic, and the women do engage with me and they’re so open and they do see me as approachable which is great.
“I’ve seen a girl as young as 16 having a baby through to women in their 40s.”
Across the past six months Ms Garvey-Graham has seen about 60 women through the wellness program, of whom around a quarter have experienced a form of female genital mutilation (FGM).
FGM, which is illegal in Australia, is traditionally practiced in some parts of Africa, Yemen, the Arabian Peninsula and Asia.
Last Wednesday, to commemorate International Zero Tolerance Day to FGM, also known as female circumcision, Ms Garvey-Graham held a seminar.
She invited health professionals from across Melbourne to come and hear about the issues involved when caring for women who have undergone FGM.
“These women can face a lifetime of health and social issues and the culturally sensitive referral to a service like the African Women’s Wellness Program is really important,” Ms Garvey-Graham.
“They are such beautiful women both inner and outer, and pregnancy isn’t always easy. It’s about supporting them to navigate their way through the health-care system.”
See www.wh.org.au for more information.
