Come down to the Maldon Progress Hall this Saturday, 9 July, to enjoy and explore the first expo by Migrant Women in Business, with handmade food and products made by migrant and refugee women.
There will be vibrant and fun multicultural activities, including salsa dancing, Turkish craft, painting and African hair extension workshops – a wonderful way of demonstrating the rich cultural, social, and economic contribution migrant and refugee women make to regional Victoria.
There will be an array of stalls selling homemade products, and Trio Pastry Sweets and Nuts, a family-run business, will have traditional Syrian food available to purchase.
Migrant Women in Business (MWiB) is a Maldon business that supports a nationwide network of connection and collaboration amongst 80 plus women from migrant and refugee backgrounds.
MWiB’s purpose is to enable the creation and sustainable growth of migrant women’s businesses.
Local resident Luz Restrepo co-founded the social enterprise in 2020 when she identified the need for inclusive and accessible online networking and digital tools for migrant women entrepreneurs.
As a woman seeking political asylum in Australia in 2010, with little English and very little money, Luz reinvented herself as a leader and social entrepreneur; she has a unique understanding of the challenges female migrant entrepreneurs face.
“We want to empower women with flexible jobs that allow them to put food on the table,” Luz told the Times. “Regional Victoria needs to create strategies to bring migrants to the region which enables economic prosperity.
“Migrant women are hard workers. They have to prove themselves all the time. And they are grateful to be in this country, and the best way to show that is to work.”
The social enterprise assists female entrepreneurs, with varying levels of English and technological literacy, differing access to business opportunities and, initially, a limited understanding of Australian business culture to get their businesses up and running.
As such, Luz and co-founder Corrine Kemp created ‘Made By Many Hands’, an online marketplace that connects customers with hand crafted products and services being sold by migrant women and the businesses they have founded.
Make sure to head to the expo this Saturday 10am-4pm at the Maldon Progress Hall (6 Francis Street Maldon) to get a taste for some of the wonderful products and services these women can offer.
Entry and participation in the workshops and performances are free.
For more information on Migrant Women in Business, visit mwib.com.au.
This article appeared in the Tarrangower Times, 8 July 2022.
