A national voice for immigrant and refugee women’s wellbeing in Australia
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About us

Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health (MCWH) is a community-based organisation led by and for women from migrant and refugee backgrounds.

To increase migrant women’s opportunities for health and well being we need to centre migrant women’s experiences, our stories and our voices.

MCWH works together with immigrant and refugee women, community organisations, health practitioners, employers, communities and governments to build and share knowledge, achieve equity and improve health and wellbeing for immigrant and refugee women through health education, research, advocacy and capacity building.

Find out more about our impact on migrant women's health this year

View or download our 2017-18 Annual Report (PDF)

View the Annual Report in PDF

Our Approach

Our approach is shaped by the lived experiences and perspectives of immigrant and refugee women, who we place at the centre of our work.
Our work is guided by:

Intersectionality

An intersectional and feminist approach to health means seeing the many ways that women's lives, health and choices are impacted by overlapping social and structural forces.

Women's leadership

Valuing immigrant and refugee women’s expertise, knowledge and experience promotes migrant women’s gender equality, health and well being.

Knowledge translation

Improving a woman’s access to clear, relevant and evidence-based information increases her opportunities for better health.

Collaboration

Together we are stronger. Building relationships with partner organisations adds value to projects and opens more doors to health for migrant women.

Our strategic direction

MCWH is guided by a positive vision of the future for immigrant and refugee women’s health and wellbeing and a belief that the stories women share with one another today significantly contribute to imagining that future. MCWH continues to be guided by current knowledge and to be responsive to the dynamic needs of immigrant and refugee women.

Our goal from 2016-2020 is to magnify, focus and celebrate our significant and positive impact on immigrant and refugee women’s health and wellbeing across Australia.

You can download a printable PDF version of our vision, mission, values and approach by clicking here on the link below.

Download our Strategic Plan
Our history

2018 will mark 40 years since the Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health was first established in 1978. Our life began as a factory visiting program, providing information about family planning to the many migrant women working in Melbourne’s inner suburbs.

From this bold start, MCWH has continued to evolve by listening to migrant and refugee women and taking action to promote their health and well being. Our work has contributed to new health research, shaped national policy and fostered generations of strong women to take the lead in conversations about health. More importantly, MCWH has given migrant women across Victoria and Australia access to health information they otherwise could not reach for themselves, their children and their families.

Read a more detailed history of the organisation by viewing or downloading the PDF document below or watch a short video that tells ‘Our Story‘.

Download History