How SHE Thrives is empowering African-Australian women to reach their business goals

It was a love of dance that led Suzie Watts to set up Mzuri Dance Artistree, a performing arts community organisation, recently turned not-for-profit and registered charity, over 25 years ago. Having collaborated on dance projects with African-Australian artists since the age of 18 and a Kalanga woman by marriage, Suzie created the social enterprise to deliver free dance, education and empowerment programs to young African people, women and families facing social and economic barriers to inclusion.

Through her decades of doing this work, Suzie found she was sometimes asked for help by women who were keen to set up their own businesses – things like designing logos, setting up ABNs, writing grant applications and all of the other things involved with creating a new enterprise from the ground up.

When Suzie saw the Bank Australia community customer grants pop up, she saw an opportunity to formalise the work she was already doing with the entrepreneurial women around her, as well as bring in other professionals for one-to-one support, like accountants, marketing specialists and business mentors.

The grant application was successful, and SHE Thrives was born. The transformative seed program is designed to empower African women from refugee backgrounds to start and maintain their own small businesses, including African braiding, food catering, traditional dance and other sole-trading services. 

“The SHE Thrives program is co-designed with women of the East African and wider African-Australian community,” Suzie says. “It’s all about women having an opportunity to build economic resilience, get their organisation or their initiative to the next step, and to move around the entrepreneurial space more comfortably.”

Ten women ultimately joined the program, all at different stages of their business journey. 

Apuot is nurturing the next generation of African leaders

Apuot Bol was already a leader in her community when she established Nurturing African Generations, an organisation that tackles educational and social issues that African communities face on a day-to-day basis. Nurturing African Generations runs local and international programs, including cultural dance, parenting programs and building a school in rural South Sudan, where Apuot is from.

“We sit down with elders, young people, and we look at how we can best support one another,” Apuot says. “So tackling issues such as racism, issues that are happening in the schools, in the community, the justice system and housing issues as well.”

Through SHE Thrives, Apuot has been able to build on her existing skills in the areas of grant writing, public speaking, marketing and graphic design. “What has been really valuable to me is learning where my strengths are,” Apuot says. “Through the mentoring, I was able to pinpoint what I'm really good at. I had strengths I didn’t know about.”

For Apuot, this confidence has helped her not just step into her power not just as a community leader, but also as a mother. 

“From the support that I got and from the work that I was doing in the community, my own children were able to see me from a different light, and they're now trying to copy me. When they see me speaking, they want to speak. They would grab the mic off me and say a few words as well. So that's passing those skills and that strength down to the next generation, and that's what Nurturing African Generations is all about.”

Aisha is delivering wellbeing programs for her community

Aisha Darawish, CEO of Horn of Africa in Yarra, is another SHE Thrives participant. Her not-for-profit organisation delivers wellbeing programs for her community, with a focus on young people and the elderly. This includes an after-school homework club and school holiday programs that foster social skills and healthy lifestyles for kids, as well as storytelling and social events for older people to combat isolation. During Melbourne’s COVID lockdowns, Aisha also snapped to action for her community, supplying families with food and laptops so they could continue to live and learn. 

“Helping people, that's what I like, especially young kids” Aisha says. “We teach them how to build their self-esteem, their confidence. If they have a problem – whether it's at home, whether with friends, in the school yard – I want to be someone they can come and talk to about it. Whether I make a phone call, write a letter, follow up with the school, I try to help them fix it.”

For Aisha, the SHE Thrives program had provided practical business support, and so much more. “The training I did with SHE Thrives helped me to do a marketing plan, a logo, LinkedIn, things I never knew I needed,” Aisha says. “But it gave me a lot more confidence that I can stand up to advocate for my community. If they have any problems, then I can do as much as I can to help them. It really helped me to build my self-esteem to be a stronger person who can deliver something to my community.”

Women supporting women

SHE Thrives also creates a welcoming and safe space for these entrepreneurial women to network and nurture cultural connections in a supportive environment. The group regularly gathers for wellbeing sessions, including walks along Merri Creek and cultural dance or music events, where they connect with each other, share their experiences and learn from one another’s journeys.

“It’s not just about that financial freedom,” says Suzie. “It’s also about mental health and creating a sense of community. Belonging is a really important part of this. With the Bank Australia grant, we've been able to realise this project and support these entrepreneurial women towards achieving their dreams.”

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‍Learn more about the Bank Australia community customer grants.