More support for rural women

The Victorian Women’s Trust is an independent organisation that supports women, girls and gender diverse people to thrive.

 It works on social change projects, conducts research and advocacy and provides thought-leadership and mentorship opportunities.

Bushfires, the pandemic, and then flooding have demonstrated the isolation faced by many outback and rural women.

Vital services such as maternal care, telehealth, violence prevention, banking and more were denied to women who were unable to connect online. Plus, their leadership capacity in community recovery following disasters was also hampered.

Financial and digital inclusion plays an essential role in building a better society. The Trust’s Rural Women Online project has demonstrated outcomes that have assisted rural women fast track their IT ability and connect in our digital world.

It’s why we supported Phase 1 of Rural Women Online, which concluded in March 2023, with our original co-funding of $165,000. And it’s why we funded an additional $50,000 this year to continue the development of the program.

Buchan and Bairnsdale Open Day

Case study one

A participant described herself as an ‘isolated farmer, technology skills poor’. She spoke about the increasing online (paperwork) burden of farm biosecurity and livestock traceability. They needed to use computers for record keeping. She was encouraged to sign up to the Rural Women Online mentoring program to learn about online record keeping.

Case study two

A woman who visually impaired and nervous attended the program. She explained that she was having trouble connecting her Kindle to Amazon. She also needed to update her iPhone and sync it to her laptop. She was warmly welcomed and her challenges addressed. They also helped her to increase the font size on her Kindle and iPhone and aided with password protection across her device.