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We're in Sydney this week to meet with Marie-Celeste Dagher, our Graphic Designer. Marie-Celeste recently completed a Bachelor of Visual Communications at the University of Technology Sydney. She joined Project Didi after she and a number of other design students worked on our #SomethingForSlavery campaign, as part of a socially responsive design unit with the UTS Community Shopfront Program. We're very excited to share their work later this year! What motivated you to join Project Didi? After having the opportunity to work on the #SomethingForSlavery campaign I realised I could help create awareness for an important issue many women and children face today: modern slavery. I want to use my skills as a designer to inform a wider audience on the topic and create action. Where did you grow up? I grew up in Sydney but moved to Lebanon with my mum for a couple years before returning to continue my studies here in Australia. Moving to Lebanon when I was 17 came with its pros and cons - travelling to Europe without long lay overs from Australia was a pro! Although at the time it was a worrying and tiring process I can now look back and see how much I've grown as a person.  Marie, bottom left, with UTS students, Queenie, Julie, Sonia, Lauren, their tutor, Robert, and Project Didi Board Member, Clare after the group presented their designs for #SomethingForSlavery.
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This week, join us as we travel to Perth to catch up with Shannon Mony. Shannon is our Communications & Engagement Officer and has been with the team since mid-2019. What motivated you to join Project Didi? I am a strong advocate for gender equality and am passionate about working to ensure that every woman has a voice. As a mother of two daughters, this is a topic that is close to my heart. The sheer enormity of the human trafficking industry astounds me. Project Didi does such amazing work in this space and I was motivated to join in order to help promote awareness of this critical issue. What is the best book you’ve read so far this year? Given it’s only Februrary, I currently only have a very short list to choose from! However, I recently finished Any Ordinary Day by Leigh Sales. It’s a beautifully written collection of accounts from people who have faced the unimaginable but have found the strength to go on. It includes some compelling research about the way in which the human brain processes grief and trauma. It is an inspiring read and is a wonderful reminder to be grateful for and to find the magic in all those ‘ordinary days’. Where did you grow up? I am a bit of a ‘global citizen’ (and yes, my accent is a bit confusing!). I grew up in South Africa, lived in New Zealand for 12 years, travel on a Canadian passport and have lived in Perth for the last 8 years.  Shannon at the Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve, WA. Last year, we introduced you to our inspiring Board. This year, we're excited to introduce you to the rest of our team. Please join us as we travel across Australia (and occasionally overseas!) to introduce you to our fantastic volunteers. This week, we’re heading to London to meet Elli Agathocleous, who is originally from Sydney but relocated last year. Elli has been supporting our 2020 #SomethingForSlavery campaign to inspire action to end modern slavery. Why is volunteering important to you? I am strong believer that although it takes many to drive resounding change, that movement can start with an individual who makes the decision to act. By volunteering I am making a conscious decision to act for positive change. What is a trip that changed you and why? There are two trips! Visiting Cyprus (where my dad grew up) in 2000 when I was 10 years old. It was the first time that I realised how being away from the distractions of big cities and material items could bring happiness. The village, where my dad's family still live, is a world away from where I grew up in Sydney. The community thrives by sharing what they have - my grandfather, the local butcher, reared animals on his farm, my uncle grows fresh fruit & veggie, my aunties make fresh haloumi, yoghurt and bread. There was no need to ever go to the shops! The second was a visit to Fiji (where my mum grew up) when I was 15/16 years old. I became acutely aware of how privileged my upbringing had been. We never had to worry about a supply of clean water, having a roof over our head, where our next meal was coming from or having electricity. Coming face to face with the struggles of the local communities, particularly in smaller villages, opened my eyes to the things I took for granted. I was as fascinated with life in Fiji as with my father's village in Cyprus - the simple pleasures in life, spending time with friends & family, sharing stories over good food and appreciating how the ocean sustained the joy & happiness in these communities.  This week we're in Sydney to introduce Board Member, Chloë Spackman, who joined our team earlier this year. What is your day job? My 365-day job is being a mum to my curious, chubby-cheeked one year old, Augie. My other day job is as Director of Programs at non-profit the Australian Futures Project. The simplest way to explain what we do at Australian Futures Project is to say that we're committed to ending short-termism in Australia by understanding the root causes and then engaging leaders, experts, and the public to identify and implement systemic solutions. At Project Didi, we’re all about empowering women to bring about positive change. Which women do you look up to? There are so many, and thanks to a world of democratised technology I can follow them and connect with them all over the world. You wouldn't know it when you look at mainstream media or entertainment, or the data around female leadership in business or sport or government - but I see and hear stories every day about incredibly talented, resilient, unique, uncompromising and unapologetic women doing things that change lives and history. I find every story and every little action inspiring. Here's an example I just read five minutes ago about Indigenous women bringing their knowledge of country to fight fires and abate greenhouse gases as rangers.  Chloë in Lijiang Old Town whilst on a cycling tour of the Yunnan Province in China. This week we're taking you to Nepal to meet Clare Bartram, who recently joined our Board. Clare, who normally calls Canberra home, has been a volunteer with us since the beginning. She and Kira are in Nepal leading our women empowering women trip. What would you share about Nepal with someone who hasn't been? Nepal has an awesome community of young entrepreneurs, innovators and artisans - and it's growing! There is a really positive movement towards made in Nepal, keeping creative talent and production local. In the absence of effective government action, grassroots solutions are emerging. Youth marches to #Strike4Climate, a revitalisation of traditional Nepali fabrics in ethically made fashion and Kathmandu's waste turned into homewares (tackling the city's major waste management problem). We could learn a lot from Nepal's entrepreneurs! What's your day job? I'm a student! I've just started a Masters in Slavery and Liberation with the University of Nottingham, the first course of its kind. I'm learning about the incredible citizen-driven movements that ended the slave trade in the 19th century, right up to trafficking and forced labour in the supply chains of modern companies, that make the products we buy. It's fascinating and challenging - I'm lucky I get to take a year focus on this and Project Didi.  Clare with the Asha Nepal team, our partner in Kathmandu. Meet our fantastic team! This week we're in Sydney with Bryce Morton, who recently joined our Board. As you know at Project Didi, we're all about strong futures for women. Why do you believe it is critical to invest in women? There are a lot of answers to this question, and aside from the fact that women deserve the same agency, freedom, and dignity as anyone, I see the amazing potential for the betterment of Nepalese society (and the world as a whole!) that comes from empowered women. What would you share about Nepal with someone who hasn't been? Hot honey lemon ginger – a truly life changing drink. On a more serious note I wouldn’t share anything as much as I would strongly encourage people to travel to Nepal, it’s such an incredible place that words struggle to do it justice.  Bryce (far left) with a group of friends hiking in the snowy mountains. Join us as we travel across Australia to introduce you to our wonderful team. This week we're in Sydney with Kira Osborne, who recently joined our Board. What would you share about Nepal with someone who hasn't been? It’s not “just like India” – people often ask this and I passionately respond with a rant about how different the countries are. Nepal is slower and softer, it has a sense of calm even amongst the chaos. What is your day job? Haha which one!!?? I work as a senior policy advisor in child protection and violence, abuse and neglect for the Ministry of Health. I also convene the Masters of Community Development at UNSW, and I work freelance as a research consultant with marginalised communities in informal settlements in South Asia.  Kira on a day off from a research project in Bangladesh.
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Project Didi Australia strives for futures of hope, dignity and independence for survivors of trafficking and abuse.
ABN 68 320 267 277
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Project Didi Australia is a partner for Project J1082N
Futures of Dignity and Opportunity with Global Development Group (ABN 57 102 400 993). |