Community-led approach
Designed by GenWest’s multilingual health education team, Project Sitara was co-designed with a group of elder Indian women. We recognise their profound influence as cultural custodians and their unique role in passing on values of sharing and interdependence with younger generations.
The project supports community leaders to talk to others in their communities in ways that are culturally safe, and that increase understanding of what family violence is and where to seek support.
The name ‘Sitara’, which means ‘star’ in Hindi/Urdu, reflects the project’s mission to serve as a guiding light for women who may not know where to turn when facing family violence.
Designed as a culturally adaptable model, Project Sitara responds to diverse linguistic and cultural needs. In 2025, Project Sitara (Hindi) was delivered in Ballarat in partnership with the Ballarat Regional Multicultural Council and Respect Victoria.
Our commitment is to expand the program across communities, ensuring migrant and refugee women can lead prevention of violence initiatives that reflect their cultural contexts.
“As women, we will no longer remain silent… We will help others, talk to the men in our homes, and support our community by sharing what we’ve learned.”
Participant
How Project Sitara works
Project Sitara provides information and tools to community leaders, so that they can provide guidance to women in need of support and connect them with support services.
Delivered in language, the training is grounded in the Change the Story evidence base and enriched with relevant pop culture examples to enhance understanding and relatability. Ongoing support is provided through a Community of Practice, ensuring sustainability and peer connection beyond the training itself. As of June 2025, Project Sitara has successfully trained 21 women aged 35-85 years from the Indian community in Melbourne’s West to become community champions.
Our impact
In just a short time, Project Sitara has already created a measurable impact at both individual and community levels.
Participants have reported greater knowledge of the gendered drivers of violence, stronger awareness of referral pathways, and increased confidence to intervene, educate others, and challenge harmful norms. These shifts are sparking conversations on gender, power, and respect, breaking silence, reducing stigma, and providing informal support and referrals — laying the groundwork for long-term, community-led prevention.
The program has also begun delivering immediate practical impact, with Sitara graduates directly supporting three victim-survivors and guiding them to services such as The Orange Door. Together, these early outcomes show Sitara’s potential to grow into a powerful, community-led movement for lasting change.
“We will apply the learnings from this project in our communities by educating our families and the men at our home, talk to other ladies in our social circle and educate them.”
Participant
“Practitioners with deep cultural understanding developed Project Sitara, recognising the vital, yet often unseen and unsupported, role of trusted community members in women's lives. Designed to bridge prevention and response, Project Sitara honours cultural values and empowers women as both beneficiaries and drivers of change. It is a step towards mobilising an army of champions leading the way to create a society free from gender-based violence”
Shweta Kawatra Dakin, Manager of Resilient Communities at GenWest
