Rachanee Naksuk

Bilingual Health Educator
Language(s): Thai

I started working with MCWH when it was WWH in March 2003. MCWH is not just an organisation I work for—it has also helped shape my career and life as a migrant woman. My main role is to improve women's access to culturally and linguistically appropriate health education. I conduct health education sessions for women in community settings as well as in their workplaces, focusing on the Thai language. It is my responsibility to promote MCWH activities by liaising with Thai community through my role. I also take part in maintaining and developing educational resources in Thai which women can request from MCWH.

My qualifications as a registered nurse (Deakin University) and my Bachelor Degree in Social Sciences (Curtin University Perth) give me a strong basis to understand the health and wellbeing of immigrant and refugee women. Ongoing professional training provided by MCWH has further reinforced my knowledge and facilitating techniques for education session provision.

Our Thai-speaking population is spread out across Melbourne CBD and across Victoria. Numerous women are isolated due to distance and other barriers which deny them access to culturally-specific networks and information. As a Bilingual Health Educator at MCWH I have opportunity to reduce this problem by delivering health education sessions wherever Thai women gather, addressing their needs as identified by the women themselves.