Every year Hepatitis Victoria celebrates World Hepatitis Day (28
July) with the LIVERability Festival, a calendar of activities and events in July
and throughout August. To encourage community participation, we offer small
grants of up to
$1,000 to community and not-for-profit organisations to conduct activities that raise awareness of viral hepatitis and reduce the stigma and discrimination
associated with the disease. See photo highlights.
We also encourage those groups focused on improving
liver health to apply.
“The grants program has been running for nine years
and is very enthusiastically received by organisations across the whole of
Victoria and this year was no exception,” said Martin Forrest, Health Promotion
Programs Manager.
A total of 30 applications were received this year with 21
grants awarded. Grants have been awarded to various groups including those in
the alcohol and other drugs, cultural and linguistically diverse and Indigenous
sectors.
“The activities funded by the grants are as
various as the groups themselves; they include a 45-minute lecture and quiz in
Chinese with catering, a 3-day BBQ and onsite testing campaign, Hep bingo, healthy
cooking demonstration or Ilbijeri play and dinner with information session,” said
Martin.
“What is fantastic
is that we reach hundreds of people in the very heart of their communities, providing
a platform (and usually lunch or a tea) with the message about taking care of
your liver health and getting tested and treated if you are living with viral hepatitis,”
he said.
Congratulations to all the grant recipients. A full
list is as follows:
| Organisation |
Event |
Priority group |
| Austin health – Liver clinic |
Talk at the hospital Austin health CEO, gastro specialists |
General health |
| Association of Hazaras in Victoria |
Presentations for Dari language students |
CALD |
| Bellarine community health NSP |
Info session and afternoon tea for community and health service staff |
AOD/NSP |
| Your community health |
Afternoon tea and education presentation |
General health |
| Njernda Aboriginal Cooperation |
Lunch aboard paddle steamer with speakers during the lunch |
Indigenous |
| Hume Afghan Association |
Saturday education day with lunch, female and male groups
will participate with HV as liver health ambassadors |
CALD |
| Holden St neighbourhood house |
Community lunch with liver health theme |
General community |
| Pakistan Welfare Organisation in Australia |
Pakistan Independence Day celebration – HV stall and talk |
CALD |
| Chinese Association of Monash |
Lecture for volunteers and members of the association |
CALD |
| Common Ground Elizabeth St |
Lived experience speaker, onsite testing with info booth and health
lunch |
AOD/homelessness |
| Chinese Community Health advisory of Australia |
45 min lecture with catering quiz etc in Chinese |
CALD |
| Cohealth Healthworks |
Find the missing millions awareness raising day – activities to be
chosen in consultation with service users |
AOD/NSP |
| Access health NSP |
3-day BBQ and onsite testing campaign |
AOD/NSP |
| SHARPS |
Hepatitis awareness week – week of food and special guests onsite |
AOD/NSP |
| NRCH AOD outreach |
Mobile lunch and education to outreach clients |
AOD/NSP |
| Cohealth Innerspace |
Healthy cooking class and finale day BBQ and guests, talks etc |
AOD/NSP |
| VAHS |
Breakfast at VAHS with guest speakers |
Indigenous |
| Salvation Army Flagstaff |
Hep Bingo and lunch |
Homelessness |
| Rumbalara |
Ilbijeri play and dinner with information session |
Indigenous |
| Barwon Health AOD team |
Week-long campaign and raffle |
AOD/NSP |
| Thomas Embling |
Cooking demonstration and information session for residents and
family |
Forensic mental health |
Grants for 2020 will open early next year and to be eligible you will need
to be:
A community or not for profit organisation based
within the Australian state of Victoria
Agree to have a Hepatitis Victoria staff member
attend the event, and conduct an education session
Advertise your event or activity to your community
Provide photos and an evaluation report to
Hepatitis Victoria following the event
For more information contact: Martin Forrest Tel:03 9385 9111 Email: Martin@hepvic.org.au
