To ensure all communities from migrant, refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds achieve equitable access to healthcare.
Our Purpose
OUR VISION OUR PURPOSE
To promote good health and wellbeing to communities from migrant, refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds in Australia by improving their health literacy.
OUR VALUES
Collaboration
Integrity
Accountability
WHAT WE DO
Respectfulness of diversity
Compassion
The Water Well Project facilitates free health education sessions in Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania for communities from migrant, refugee, and asylum seeker backgrounds.
We engage volunteer healthcare professionals to work alongside community partners to ensure sessions are culturally responsive and tailored to the interests and learning needs of each group.
A Message from our Chair and Founder
Our vision is that EVERY person has access to good health.
Our vision reflects an issue of equity. We have an amazing healthcare system; however, not everyone has the same access to the treatment and care that they deserve. Through connecting with the community, we hope to empower people through improved knowledge about health, disease, and the healthcare system, to improve their health and wellbeing.
We hope this results in all Australians one day having the same health outcomes regardless of country of origin, ethnicity, religious beliefs, age, gender, or sex.
We have had a productive and remarkable year of growth at The Water Well Project in 2023.
Alongside the support of our community partners, we have continued to facilitate practical and interactive health education sessions with communities from migrant, refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds.
This year, with the help of our health educators and volunteers, we facilitated 310 sessions to 63 different community groups in 28 languages and reached 5,050 community participants. We recognise that with the power of community, the number of people reached by our sessions and programs is many more.
This year, we were privileged to be awarded the Victorian Public Healthcare Award for Excellence in Culturally Diverse Health, and receive some notable grants including from the Federal Government (Department of Health and Aged Care), the Victorian Government, 100Women, and the City of Melbourne.
Thank you to all our supporters for believing in our work.
Dr Linny Kimly Phuong Founder and Chair
Our Name and Logo
In traditional communities, a river, water pump or water well signified a place where people met to collect water and talk, often informally, about their daily lives. The well itself is a universal metaphor for community, shared stories, knowledge and wellbeing. Even though many communities no longer have a ‘water well’, we can still create these open spaces for exchange and conversation, whether these spaces be in a community hall, a park or a school.
Our project aims to find those public spaces within communities where people gather and engage in conversations between healthcare professionals and community groups around practical health information.
Designed by a friend of the project, Dr Raf Ratinam, our logo represents people of diverse backgrounds and cultures coming together to solve local problems and create working solutions. As a whole, the logo represents collaboration through the interlocking of arms; and flow towards a coordinated centre (the water well).
13 Years and Growing
The Water Well Project continues to work towards improved health literacy and access to healthcare for migrant, refugee and asylum seeker communities through inclusive, interactive health education sessions facilitated by qualified healthcare professionals.
In 2023, The Water Well Project achieved significant growth in the number of sessions we delivered across Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania, resulting in a 32.5% increase on the previous year.
Session & Participant Numbers
Victoria
Most active LGAs
Other
3% City of Whitehorse
3% City of Whittlesea
4% City of Melton
5% City of Maribyrnong
City of Casey
6% City of Maroondah 8% City of Melbourne
6% City of Wyndham
7% City of Knox
Other:
2% City of Yarra
2% City of Glen Eira
OVERVIEW
City of Greater Dandenong
9% City of Brimbank
8% City of Hume
2% City of Kingston
1% City of Merri-bek
In Victoria, we facilitated 220 sessions with 3,632 participants, across 20 local government areas. We currently have 228 Victorian volunteer healthcare professionals, with 84 facilitating at least one session during the year.
Most health education sessions were facilitated in LGAs where the highest number of refugees and asylum seeker communities reside, including the City of Casey (16% of sessions), the City of Greater Dandenong (14% of sessions) and The City of Brimbank (9% of sessions).
3,632
84 Participants reached Registered volunteers Volunteers (who facilitated at least one session in 2023.)
Sessions facilitated
220 Local government areas
228 20
New South Wales
Most active LGAs
3% Inner West
3% City of Penrith
3% City of Sydney
4% City of Liverpool
6% City of Randwick
6% George’s River Council
8% Cumberland City Council
13% City of Fairfeild
Other:
1% The Hills Shire
1% Waverley Council
1% City of Albury
OVERVIEW
11% Other
48% City of Blacktown
1% Bayside Council
1% City of Canterbury-Bankstown
In NSW, The Water Well Project facilitated 79 sessions with 1,104 participants, across 15 Local Government Areas including the City of Blacktown (48%), City of Fairfield (13%), Cumberland City Council (8%), George’s River Council (6%) and City of Randwick (6%). In NSW, we have 79 volunteers registered, with 29 facilitating at least one session during the year.
1,104
Sessions facilitated
79
29 Participants reached Registered volunteers Volunteers (who facilitated at least one session in 2023.)
15
79 Local government areas
Tasmania
Most active LGAs
36%
OVERVIEW
In Tasmania we facilitated 22 sessions with 307 community participants during the year. We have connected with a range of health networks to assist in recruiting and engaging volunteers including through GP training programs, universities, nursing groups, and refugee nurse networks. Tasmania has 23 volunteers registered across Hobart and Launceston, with 9 of these facilitating at least one session during the year.
307
22
23
9 Participants reached Registered volunteers Volunteers (who facilitated at least one session in 2023.)
3
Sessions facilitated
Local government areas
48% City of Hobart
19% City of Glenorchy
City of Launceston
2023 at a Glance
SESSIONS
310
free health education sessions across Victoria, NSW and Tasmania.
63
44
35 LGAs in Victoria, NSW and Tasmania. 28 unique languages.
PARTICIPANTS
5,050 96.2% 95.4% 95.8%
participants from migrant, refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds, with flow on effects to families, friends and their broader communities.
agreed that attending a session improved their ability to manage their health. partner organisations. different topics.
of participants learned something new from attending a session.
of participants agreed that attending a session improved their confidence to ask for help from a doctor or healthcare provider when needed.
VOLUNTEERS
2% Pharmacists
2% Physiotherapists
9% Nurses 4% Other
1% Osteopaths 1% Occupational Therapists
107 338 57 Volunteers from 42 88.5% 91.7%
volunteer healthcare professionals registered to facilitate sessions or to provide other support. different languages spoken by our volunteers.
new healthcare professionals registered to become volunteers.
121 85%
unique volunteer healthcare professionals engaged to facilitate sessions. of volunteers are doctors or final year medical students.
Other: 1% Midwives 1% Paramedics different cultural backgrounds.
of volunteer healthcare professionals gained a better understanding of the health issues and obstacles CALD communities face in accessing healthcare.
increased their ability to practice in a culturally responsive manner when interacting with people from CALD backgrounds.
Session Topics
The most popular health education session topics in 2023 included Mental Health and Wellbeing, Asthma and Allergies, Diabetes and Heart Health, Women’s Health, and Bone and Joint Health.
Demand for Mental Health and Wellbeing sessions has increased following the COVID-19 lockdown years, and continue to be in high demand.
A partnership with cohealth to address childhood asthma saw an increase in demand for Asthma and Allergies
sessions, particularly in the western suburbs of Melbourne.
The Water Well Project partnered with Diabetes Victoria to ensure vital diabetes information was received by migrant, refugee and asylum seeker communities. This boosted demand for Diabetes sessions across Greater Melbourne.
Women’s Health sessions are always among the most popular sessions, as many of the community groups we work with are women’s groups.
OTHER SESSION TOPICS
• Alcohol, Tobacco and Drugs
• Allergies
• Breast, Cervical and Other Common Cancers
• Dementia
• Ear and Hearing Health
• Extreme Weather, Disasters and Your Health
• Falls and Balance
• Healthy Relationships (Family Violence)
• Heart Health
• Heatwaves and Health
• Incontinence
• Infant and Toddler Nutrition
• Kidney Health
• Male and Female Interaction
• Menopause
• Men’s Health
• Mosquito-Borne Diseases
NEW SESSION TOPICS
• Positive Body Image and Eating Disorders
• Pregnancy and Postnatal Wellbeing
• Preventative Health
• Safe Use of Medicines
• Sexual Health
• Skin Health
• Sleep, Health and Exercise
• Social Media and Screen Use
• Staying Healthy in Winter
• Sun Safety
• Talking with your Child About Relationships, Sex and Sexuality
• Wellness and Vaccinations
In 2023, we introduced 6 new health education topics to our range, in response to requests from community groups:
• Extreme Weather, Disasters and Your Health
• Mosquito-Borne Diseases
• Safe Use of Medicines
• Skin Health
• Sleep, Exercise and Health
• Wellness and Vaccinations
“I didn’t know I could go to the doctor when I wasn’t sick. It’s called preventative health.”
- Community Participant, Swinburne Wantirna, 22 August 2023, Women’s Health session
Working alongside Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) qualified interpreters and community provided language support, we facilitated sessions in English, that were
TOP 10 REQUESTED LANGUAGES Languages
interpreted in 28 different languages. Our most requested languages for support during our sessions were: Arabic (26%), Dari (25%), Mandarin (14%), Vietnamese (12%) and Farsi (6%).
“The women were excited to hear about some of the new healthcare services that are available such as Priority Primary Care Centres and the Virtual Emergency Department. It’s a great reminder that health information is not easily accessible when people have language and digital literacy barriers. That’s what makes these sessions so important.”
- Volunteer Healthcare Professional, Wellsprings for Women, 7 February 2023, Navigating the Australian Healthcare System session
Community Partners
The Water Well Project works alongside community partners to facilitate sessions in communities. We work with diverse community partners including:
• Local Community Hubs
• Parents Groups
• Sports Clubs
• Libraries
• Primary and Secondary School Hubs
• Settlement Services
• Mosques and Churches
• Senior Citizens Groups
• Conversation Cafes
• TAFEs and Universities
• Community Health Services
Working alongside our community partners is an important element of our service, and benefits session participants because:
• Community partners have cultural knowledge and often a longstanding connection to the group.
• Sessions are facilitated in an environment that is known and comfortable for participants.
• Sessions are tailored to the group’s needs, including session topics, language, local resources, and special requests (e.g. female facilitator for women’s groups).
• Familiarity and security with their community group encourages participants to interact and ask questions.
• Participants can continue conversations about acquired health knowledge after the session.
• The Water Well Project can provide additional follow-up materials and information to the community partner to share with participants.
• Sessions can be held on a regular basis (e.g. monthly, annually) so that participants can build upon their health literacy over time
“Having medical professionals come into a classroom full of adult migrants of mixed ages is an amazing resource. Students were able to ask questions and know they were getting accurate information.”
- Community Representative, Box Hill Institute, 18 March 2023, Diabetes session
Volunteer Engagement
Our volunteer healthcare professionals responded to the increased demand for health education, with 121 people facilitating sessions in 2023.
We are fortunate that The Water Well Project’s work continues to attract new healthcare professional volunteers. Volunteers indicated that the main reasons for volunteering are to: (1) Make a difference in people’s lives; (2) Contribute to the refugee cause; (3) Use their knowledge of health to educate others; and (4) Expand their perspective of the world.
Early in 2023, we provided the opportunity for staff and volunteers to undertake the SBS Core Inclusion and Cultural Diversity courses with funding from our Victorian Government PRMC5 grant. This offer was taken up by 54 staff and volunteers, to learn about current best practice for creating inclusive cultures and fostering safe spaces that embrace cultural diversity.
We were also able to develop and offer some short professional development learning modules for our volunteers on topics such as Health Literacy and Plain English Language, Working with
Interpreters, Culturally Responsive Practice, as well as Climate and Health Resilience.
2023 saw 107 new volunteers join The Water Well Project team. We were pleased to strengthen our New Volunteer Mentoring Program to include more support before and after a new volunteer’s first health education session, as well as acknowledging milestones in volunteering, eg. facilitating their 3rd, 5th, 10th and 20th sessions.
Staff, board and volunteers collaborated to host three online volunteer induction sessions. The volunteer induction sessions provide important information to new volunteers about working in migrant, refugee and asylum seeker communities, and includes the opportunity to hear from community partners, interpreters, current volunteers, and The Water Well Project founder.
Our Impact
The Water Well Project seeks to improve the health outcomes of communities from migrant, refugee, and asylum seeker backgrounds by improving their health literacy.
Sessions are interactive, in community, and respond to the needs of participants.
The professional development provided to volunteer healthcare professionals through induction training, mentoring and firsthand experience working with communities from migrant, refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds helps them learn about barriers to health literacy for these communities.
“I
learnt today about 5 star (food ratings), how to take everyday healthy food and drink water, and I feel confident to manage my health and share this information with my family and friends.”
- Community Participant, River Nile Learning Centre, 3 August 2023, Healthy Eating and Nutrition session
Impact on participants health literacy
Feedback from session participants (n=1565) in 2023 indicates that overall, participants learnt something new from our sessions and were confident in both sharing this knowledge and changing behaviours after attending our sessions.
1. Improved knowledge of community participants on relevant health topics
• 96.2% agreed that they learned something new from the session they attended
• 95.9% agreed that they would feel confident sharing the information from the session with friends and family
2. Improved ability to manage health
• 95.8% agreed the session improved their ability to manage health and lifestyle
3. Improved confidence in accessing and navigating appropriate healthcare services
• 94.2% agreed that they feel confident about seeking further information on the topic if needed
• 95.4% agreed that the session improved their confidence to ask for help from a doctor/healthcare provider when needed
Impact on the Volunteer Healthcare Professionals
The Water Well Project volunteers are healthcare professionals who have an important role to play in creating a healthcare environment that is inclusive.
Training, mentoring and experiential learning gained through volunteering and the facilitation of health education sessions helps healthcare professionals to develop the understanding and skills needed to create a safer healthcare system for migrant, refugee, and asylum seeker communities to access, understand, and engage with.
•
88.5% of volunteer healthcare professionals gained a better understanding of the obstacles CALD communities face in accessing healthcare
• 88.5% felt their understanding of health issues faced by CALD communities improved.
• 91.7% increased their ability to practice in a culturally sensitive manner when interacting with people from CALD backgrounds
“Volunteering with The Water Well Project has helped me better understand the health needs of people from migrant and refugee backgrounds. Facilitating sessions expands my knowledge of different health topics and reinforces my nursing skills.”
- Volunteer Healthcare Professional, 9 August
“I learnt to double check understanding of the information I am giving to CALD individuals and groups and not assume they have the same interpretation of words/information as I do.”
- Volunteer Healthcare Professional, SydWest, 19 October 2023, Allergies and Asthma session
Meet the Team
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Governance
The Water Well Project revised its organisational structure this year to support its extraordinary growth and to transition from its previous emphasis on operations, to focus more on governance and strategic direction.
Joining the existing Board comprising of Linny Phuong (Chair), Timothy Martin (Treasurer), Akhil Bansal, Julie Hjorth and Susan Burke, this year we welcomed four new members:
• Sheetal Balakrishnan has over 11 years’ experience as a practising lawyer primarily working in social justice and with disadvantaged people and communities.
• Audrey Barucchi has over 15 years’ experience working in marketing, scientific communications and corporate affairs.
• Tuula Keto is a senior executive with over 16 years’ experience in the financial services industry; and
• Tina Salameh who brings over 15 years’ experience in human resources and organisational development spanning across a variety of sectors and was previously offering her HR expertise as a volunteer to the organisation.
We also farewelled and thanked Sylvia Ghaly and Isabelle Higgins for their contributions, particularly Isabelle for her invaluable work as Company Secretary.
STAFF
Suzie Bratuskins, CEO
Zoe Brinsden, Operations Manager
Tracy Douglas, National Health Education Manager
Della Cudden, Project Coordinator
Zoe Beddoes, Health Educator (Vic)
Claire Roberts, Health Educator (Tas)
Hanneke Chudleigh, Health Educator (NSW)
Lily Tian, Health Educator (NSW)
Caitlin Douglas, Grants Officer
Catherine Tascone, Health Educator (Vic)
Divya Vaswani, Health Educator (NSW)
Freya Hansford, Project Administrator
Monique van Cauwenberghe, Evaluations Officer
Hirukshi Bennett, CRM Officer
VOLUNTEER COMMITTEES
The Water Well Project relies on our volunteer committees to support our service. Without their ideas, enthusiasm and participation, we could not improve the health outcomes of people from migrant, refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds.
Lewis Sell
Thivagar Yogaparan
Adelle Sturges
Mon Yi
Faizah Allam
Prerana Ghosh
Dr. Sarah Gelbart
Dr. Andrew Joyce
Janine Kwan
Dr. Leisel Trompf
Pretashini Somasundram
Emma Thompson
Gina Ibrahim
Lucy Steele
Elizabeth Wyatt
Monique Van Cauwenberghe
Jill Pearce
Stephanie La
Natalia Sterling
Teegan Zhang
Digital
Digital
Marketing and Communications
Marketing and Communications
Marketing and Communications
Marketing and Communications
Evaluations
Evaluations
Finance
General Member
Volunteer Engagement
Volunteer Engagement
Volunteer Engagement
Volunteer Engagement
Alumni Officer
Continuing Professional Development Liaison
Resources
Resources
Resources
Resources
“This session reminded me how important it is to not make assumptions that what we have learned growing up in Australia is known or understood by others who have arrived as adults. The sun smart messages I learned as a child were new to these women and they now have this important information to protect themselves and their families from the dangers of the Australian sun.”
- Volunteer Healthcare Professional, Wellsprings for Women, 28 February 2023, Sun Safety session
Special Projects
Priority Response to Multicultural Communities
This Victorian Government grant enabled us to strengthen our volunteer engagement framework, expand our New Volunteer Mentoring Program, develop some professional development learning modules and launch our new Alumni program.
Climate and Health Resilience Series
Funding from the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation enabled us to develop a Climate and Health Resilience Series to address the impact of climate change on health. Surveys of our new volunteers indicated this was a topic not many were familiar with, particularly in the migrant, refugee and asylum seeker context. Conversations with seven key community representatives confirmed it was an area of concern for them, but that their respective community groups knew little about this topic.
Through this project, we developed a suite of health topics related to climate change that includes: Extreme Weather, Disasters and Your Health, Heatwaves and Health, Asthma, Sun Safety, and Mosquito-Borne Diseases. We also developed a learning module for our volunteer healthcare professionals on Climate and Health Resilience and a Resource Report that is available to community organisations to learn more about the impacts of climate change on health.
Federal Government Consumer Health Literacy - Quality Use of Medicines
The Federal Government Consumer Health Literacy (Quality Use of Medicines) funding provided us with the opportunity to incorporate important medicines, diagnostics and screenings information into our health education sessions. This has entailed a review of our entire resource bank, as well as the development of a ‘Using Medicines Safely’ handout. In our health education sessions, we have seen session participants engaging with our messaging around using medicines safely, asking questions particularly about the use of herbal and complementary medicines, and embracing key concepts such as the importance of writing a list of medicines they take to show to their health providers. The handout has been popular with session participants loving its simplicity and aesthetic.
Alumni Program
In 2023, The Water Well Project launched its Alumni Program, with over 600 alumni members. The aim of the Alumni Program is to engage our previous volunteers who are no longer actively facilitating health education sessions, through succinct newsletters.
“In some cultures, there is not even the language to interpret the term ‘mental health’. People are considered crazy or cursed so are kept hidden away. It’s wonderful to see stigma and misconceptions break down as we engage in conversation and participants see that mental illness is a condition that can be managed and treated, and even prevented, just like other medical conditions.”
- Volunteer Healthcare Professional, cohealth, 9 March 2023, Mental Health and Wellbeing Session
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Program
The Water Well Project has undertaken a project to liaise with medical specialty colleges to promote The Water Well Project as an organisation that offers volunteer opportunities that can be counted toward healthcare professionals’ continuing professional development (CPD) obligations.
MEDIA EVENTS
Dr Linny Phuong at the Melbourne University Global Health Society
Projects Coordinator, Della Cudden speaking at the 100 Women event
Dr. Linny Phuong presenting at the Melbourne Vaccine Education Centre (MVEC) Clinical Vaccinology Update
The first College to work alongside The Water Well Project is the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) whose members can have their attendance at The Water Well Project volunteer induction events recorded by our organisation directly into their MyCPD summary. We will continue to work with the colleges to expand the program.
Dr Linny Phuong at Parliament House, with the Navigating Health Group
Dr Linny Phuong speaking on ABC Breakfast about The Water Well Project
Dr Linny Phuong participating in the National Newcomer Navigation Network (N4) webinar to Canada
Acknowledgements
Community Partners
Our community partners are vital to ensuring The Water Well Project’s health education sessions are accessible to migrant, refugee and asylum seeker communities. We would like to thank the following partners for their support.
In 2023, we were privileged to work with 63 different community organisations.
Afghan Women’s Organisation
Asylum Seeker Resource Centre
Australian Sikh Association
Baptist Care
Box Hill Institute
Brentwood Neighbourhood House
Brotherhood of St Laurence Bukjeh
Burwood Presbyterian Church
Campbellfield Heights Primary School
Centre for Multicultural Youth
cohealth
Community 4 Humanity
Dandenong Primary School
Dandenong South Primary School
Daughters of the West
Engage Pasefika
Enliven Victoria
Ethnic Community Services
Co-operative
FECCA
Foundation House
Fountain Gate Community Hub
Fountain Gate Secondary College
Gals en Australia
GenWest
Glen Eira Adult Learning Centre
InTouch InSpire
IPC Health
Karitane
Kensington Neighbourhood House
Knox Library
Lalor Park Community Centre
Liverpool Women’s Health Centre
Maidstone Community Centre
Maribyrnong Community Centre
Meadows Community Hub
Melbourne Polytechnic
Migrant Information Centre
Migrant Resource Centre Tasmania
Network West Inc.
Oakgrove Community Centre
Oakleigh Seniors
RAIN
Randwick Library
Red Cross Albury
Red Cross Tasmania
River Nile Learning Centre
Sons of the West
South East Community Links
Southern Migrant and Refugee Centre
Southern Migrant Resource Centre
Springvale Rise Primary School
STARTTS
Swinburne Croydon
Swinburne Wantirna
SydWest
Wellsprings for Women
WellWays
Western Sydney Local Health District
Westall Community Hub
Women’s Friendship Café
WomenCAN Australia
Wyndham Community and Education Centre
Volunteers
We acknowledge with appreciation our active volunteer healthcare professionals who gave their time and expertise to facilitate a health education session in 2023.
Alexandra La Hood
Almas Wahab
Amanda Zhou
Amy Liu
Ankita Singh
Annabel Lo
Annabelle Carter
Anysha Walia
Avital Maisel
Ayushica Saran
Bagila Yermakhanova
Basheer Alshiwanna
Bianca Tellis
Catherine Tascone
Catherine Zhang
Cerys Chau
Charissa Joy
Chelsey Lu
Clement Teo
Cuong Le
David Chen
Dev Raveendran
Dhanushree Patel
Divya Vaswani
Elaine Casey
Elaine Chan
Eleanor Hitchen
Elise Lai
Emily Fitt
Emily Lawson
Emily Scott
Emma Watson
Erin Clarke
Genevieve Ho
Georgia Aitken
Georgina Pigott
Hannah Collings-Andrews
Hashinee Weraduwage
Helena Qian
Imogen Brown
Isobel Dunbabin
Jacqueline Nguyen
Janarthan Muraliharan
Jenny Sohn
Jess Dimattina
Jill Pierce
Jillian Chau
Juhyun (Jane) Son
Julian Cassar
Julie Hjorth
Kasia Clarke
Keeth Mayakaduwage
Kirra Philip
Kristyna Stepnicka
Lauren Frisken
Leah Hobbs
Lily Tian
Lisa Collins
Liz Wyatt
Lois Zhang
Lucy Steele
Madeleine Doyle
Madison Phung
Maria Gonzalez
Matilda Maynard
Medina Lamu
Meilun Ly
Melissa Cullen
Melissa Doyle
Michael Dong
Michelle Xin
Michelle Yao
Miles Ong
Mingxi Lewis-Hou
Mithila Zaheen
Nadia Olivier
Nanditha Hareesh
Natalia Evertsz
Natalie Steel
Nate Flacks
Nick Holder
Nicki Atkinson
Nicole Young
Ning Zhang
Olivia Carr
Peter Williams
Prapti Joshi
Pretashini Somasundram
Prithi Rajiv
Rachel Kour
Renee Cocks
Rhian Aghajani
Rod Borlase
Roya Gorji
Ruchika Veraiahgari
Ruth Hosken
Samantha Ting
Sarah Cipollone
Sarah Tan
Sawsan Khandaker
Sen Lessem
Sheareen Tan
Shuki Tsoi
Shweta Saraf
Siobhan Reynolds
Sonja Berryman
Sophie Putt
Srikar Boddupalli
Subalatha Devaraja
Swati Murugan
Vanessa Fowosere
Vishavjot Kaur Bhandohol
Vyshnavi Anura
Wendy Davis
Yen Lim
Yufei Su
Zoe Beddoes
Funders
The Water Well Project received funding from the following organisations. We appreciate this generous financial contribution to enable The Water Well Project to improve the health literacy of communities from migrant, refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds.
Thank you to the following supporters and partners:
10x10 Philanthropy
Access CR
Mr Alessio Bresciani
Dr Alison Beauchamp
Australian Medical Association (AMA) Victoria
Australian Youth Health Connect Inc
Change x Unzipped Collective 100
Enliven Victoria
Janetta Ziino
Mr Geoffrey Ahern
LiverWELL, incorporating Hepatitis Victoria
Maddocks Lawyers
Melbourne University Global Health Society (MUGHS)
Melbourne Vaccine Education Centre (MVEC)
Monash Health- South East Public Health Unit
Dr Nadia Chaves
National Newcomer Navigation Network, Canada
Navigating Health
Nous Consulting
Pressroom Philanthropy
Prof Rob Moodie
Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP)
Scanlon Foundation
Shifra
Ms Sian Slade
Translating Interpreting Services (TIS) National
Vermont South Pharmacy- Amcal
Victorian Multicultural Commission
Victorian Refugee Health Network
VU Consulting
Awards
Victorian Public Healthcare
Awards - Excellence in Culturally Diverse Health, Victorian State Government, November 2023
Acknowledgements
Thank you for supporting our organisation for another year. We hope to continue to work towards our vision of equitable access to healthcare for the communities with whom we work. We are hopeful that 2024 will be another wonderful year.
Financial Report
The Water Well Project Limited
ABN 38 177 188 057
For the Year Ended 30 June 2023 Note
Statement of Profit and Loss
Revenue 2 $327,452 $401,323
Employee benefits expense ($338,938) ($303,818)
Consultants and professional fees ($21,601) ($5,200)
Event and marketing expenses ($10,563) ($49,599)
Staff development, training and recruitment ($9,798) -
Insurance expense ($9,319) ($10,851)
Storage costs ($2,784) ($6,855)
Other expenses ($6,749) ($9,976)
Surplus/(deficit) for the year ($72,300) $15,024
Statement of Cash Flows
Cash flows from operating activities
Receipts from grantors, donors and customers $344,305 $401,323
Payments to suppliers and employees ($421,809) ($353,386)
Statement of Financial Position
Statement of Changes in Equity
Director’s Declaration
The directors have determined that the Company is not a reporting entity and that these special purpose financial statements should be prepared in accordance with the accounting policies described in Note 1 of the financial statements.
The directors declare that in the directors’ opinion:
• there are reasonable grounds to believe that the registered entity is able to pay all of its debts, as and when they become due and payable;
• the financial report gives a true and fair view of the Company’s financial position as at 30 June 2023, and of its financial performance for the year ended on that date; and
• the financial statements and notes satisfy the requirements of the Australian Charities and Not-forprofits Commission Act 2012.
Signed in accordance with subsection 60.15(2) of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profit Commission Regulation 2022.
“The GP just told me to go to the pharmacist for the medication. I didn’t know about what is happening in asthma before.”
- Community Participant, St Albans Primary School, 8 December 2023, Asthma session
“The session participants had so many questions about the Australian healthcare system – how to access free services, the difference between private and public health services, what Medicare covers and why some GPs don’t bulk bill, as well as when and how to call an ambulance.”
- Volunteer Healthcare Professional, Swinburne Wantirna, 22 May 2023, Navigating the Australian Healthcare System session
“The volunteers spoke about calling 000 and requesting appropriate emergency service. It helped the participants feeling more confident when dialling 000.”
- Community Representative, CoHealth Australian Vietnamese Women’s Association, 27 April 2023, Childhood Asthma session
Health education sessions facilitated by healthcare professionals for migrant, refugee and asylum seeker communitiies.
ABN 38 177 188 057
ACN 626 808 811 PO Box 6218 Vermont South VIC 3133 projectadmin@thewaterwellproject.org www.thewaterwellproject.org
