Mosque workshops help Muslim women discuss reproductive health in NSW
Governments across Australia have pledged hundreds of millions of dollars toward women's health services in recent months and years—but having more health services won't help if people don't know they're available or how to access them.
In recent years, Australian governments have allocated significant funding to enhance women's health services. However, these services may fail to reach Muslim women who face barriers such as discrimination in healthcare settings or unfamiliarity with the Australian healthcare system. Cultural norms often discourage open discussions about reproductive health topics among women.
To tackle these issues, a research project collaborated with Muslim women in Sydney over two years to develop culturally appropriate resources for reproductive health.
The Women's Awareness in Reproductive Aafiya (WARDA) project involved working with local mosques to establish women's discussion circles. Faith leaders and community volunteers, all female Muslim women in New South Wales, formed an advisory group to help interpret data and create four faith-informed community workbooks. The project's goal was to provide medically accurate and evidence-based resources that also aligned with the religious values of Muslim women.
These booklets included information on how women could access existing services like Jean Hailes for Women's Health, Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Australia (PANDA), endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics, Family Planning NSW, and local women's health centers.
Twenty-six workshops were conducted across mosques and Muslim community organizations, reaching 490 women. Participants emphasized the need for faith-informed information, delivered in a nonjudgmental, women-only environment. They appreciated the ability to ask questions without shame and felt more empowered to make informed decisions about their health. Ninety-one percent found the resources very useful, and 81.8% intended to make health-related changes after attending the workshops.
The project highlights the potential of collaborating with mosques and female faith leaders to deliver culturally sensitive reproductive health information to Muslim women who might otherwise remain unreachable through mainstream channels.
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