“We need a cast of thousands to tackle the crisis of domestic and family violence,” believes Indu Balachandran, one of the six co-founders of ‘Aunties Fund’, a new volunteering initiative launched to raise funds and mobilise support for survivors of domestic and family violence (DFV) in Sydney’s South Asian communities.
The Fund is set up as a sub-fund of the Sydney Women’s Fund (SWF). It will be the first permanent fund to work with SWF for South-Asian DFV survivors.
Balachandran and her co-founders are hoping to raise $100,000 in community giving and mobilising support for four existing support services that offer shelter, safety, and culturally responsive support to South Asian women escaping domestic abuse.
Their name ‘Aunties Fund’ reclaims the familiar, powerful role of the South Asian ‘aunty’ – a mentor, an ally, and a force of change and support for women.
At their first-ever fundraising event in early September, titled ‘Chai and Change’, the Fund brought together Firdousi Obeidullah of House of Sakinah, Sunila Kotwal of Speak Out, Kittu Randhawa of the Indian Sub-Continent Crisis Support Agency and Harinder Kaur OAM of the Harman Foundation for a panel discussion on domestic abuse in South-Asian communities.
The conversation shed light on the barriers women face when seeking help, as well as the funding challenges grassroots organisations encounter while supporting them.
“Most women who come to us have no one else to turn to,” expressed Sunila Kotwal of Speak Out. “Their support networks are back home. We are often their only hope. They rely on us. But they don’t want handouts, they just want a helping hand while they struggle to get back to their feet. I admire the young aunties from Aunties Fund who have taken the initiative to make a real change by supporting four organisations that help victims of domestic violence become independent. With their support, we will be able to reach and guide even more women.”
Appreciating the work undertaken by the Fund, Kittu Randhawa of the Indian Sub-Continent Crisis Support Agency said, “(It was) great to meet so many dedicated and passionate people in our community. They say it takes a village to raise a child. And this is our village.”
“Domestic and family violence is unbearably prevalent in our communities,” co-founder of Aunties Fund Indu Balachandran says.
“We were seeing regular posts on community Facebook pages from women in our communities suffering and seeking help and support, isolated, or new to the country, or unable to navigate the system. These organisations are doing so much for the survivors. Our objective is to help them, by raising funds for them as well as to get them greater visibility and support from the larger community.”
Concurring with Balachandran about the gravity of the problem, Firdousi Obeidullah of House of Sakinah said, “Too many South Asian women suffer in silence – trapped by fear, stigma, and the belief that no one will understand. The Aunties Fund is a beacon of hope. By supporting four grassroots charities that receive little or no government funding, it ensures that every dollar raised goes directly to helping women reclaim safety, dignity, and the chance to rebuild their lives.”
Appreciating the new initiative, Harinder Kaur OAM of Harman Foundation added, “So proud of the Aunties Fund for this initiative for the vulnerable members of the community. Harman Foundation and myself are honoured to be a part of it.”
Over the next short while, the Aunties Fund has plans to step up with their digital fund-raising campaign, as well as organising events for spreading awareness and to mobilise the large corporate sector to chip in for the cause.
It is inviting all community members to become a part of the movement by contributing through their donation page and by following their social media channels on Instagram and Facebook.
READ MORE: Nothing normal about domestic and family violence
