Migrant families in Melbourne's north-east will have access to bilingual baby books and literacy kits thanks to a $10,000 grant from energy provider, Jemena.
Reading Out of Poverty Inc. will use the funding to support a literacy initiative for 3,500 migrant families living across Melbourne's north-west. The project will distribute bilingual baby books and literacy kits to twelve mothers' groups, helping parents foster early reading habits from birth.
Reading Out of Poverty Executive Director, Andrew Kay welcomed the funding.
"Thanks to the amazing support of a Jemena Community Grant, we are able to bring 3,500 bilingual baby books to preschool children from new migrant & refugee backgrounds to help them build foundational literacy and school preparedness skills, while empowering parents to be their child's first teacher."
Now in its seventh year, Jemena's Community Grants Program has already provided about $870,000 in funding to 85 community groups. This includes $70,000 awarded earlier this month to initiatives supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
For its second round of grants in 2025, Jemena invited applications for initiatives that address disadvantage from not-for-profit organisations, schools, and charities delivering projects across Jemena's electricity and gas distribution networks. Pleasingly, this year, 16 community groups will share in over $163,000 of funding.
Craig Ypinazar, Jemena's Executive General Manager, People, Safety and Governance said the company was committed to supporting the most vulnerable in the communities in which it operates.
"Local volunteer organisations are at the heart of their communities. We can see from the type of applications we received that cost of living is still a major concerns for many in our community. These grants can go some way towards assisting those who really need it." Mr Ypinazar said.
"This year we have provided assistance to a range of different services including food programs, multicultural outreach programs and an animal rescue that supports disadvantaged pet owners, especially those escaping domestic and family violence."
