Aboriginal Liaison Grandmother helping new mums

25 May 2017

25 May 2017

In Aboriginal culture the grandmother plays a very important role within a family, through story telling she teaches her grandchildren about life and guides them as they grow.

In her role as an Aboriginal Liaison Grandmother Sharon, who is also a Noongar elder, does much the same.

When a new client comes to the Moort Boodjari Mia service seeking help during their pregnancy, Sharon is the first person they meet.

“I love seeing big beautiful healthy Aboriginal babies being born, sometimes despite all the odds that are stacked against them,” she said.

Some of the women she helps experiencing difficulty through homelessness, drug/alcohol dependency or lack of funds to buy items to care for themselves or their children. Others simply find it difficult to trust organisations and seek the help they need.

It is her job to ensure that the cultural needs of each woman and her family are met. She also helps mothers navigate the various tasks (such as dealing with Centrelink) that pop up during their pregnancy and generally provide them with support and information.

Over the time the women are in the program, Sharon gets to know them well and her favourite part of her job is being able to visit them in hospital with their new babies.

“I hope that through my role I can empower young Aboriginal women and leave them with useful information that they can carry with them in future pregnancies,” she said.

Did you know?

Moort Boodjari Mia is a community-based perinatal (antenatal and postnatal) service for the Aboriginal women and their families funded by St John of God Health Care.