{ "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Article", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://www.bankaust.com.au/blog/{{slug}}" }, "headline": "{{title}}", "description": "{{desc}}", "image": "{{image}}", "author": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Bank Australia", "url": "https://www.bankaust.com.au/" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Bank Australia", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/64d5d5beb2a67e9491ecdff8/64d5d5beb2a67e9491ece00c_BA-logo-white.webp" } }, "datePublished": "{{datePublished}}", "dateModified": "{{dateModified}}" }
Alert notice

1 July 2025: updates to privacy and credit reporting policy - We have updated our privacy and credit reporting policy, effective 1 July 2025. Learn more.

2025-07-01 9:47 am
Alert notice

2 July 2025 – Qantas cyber incident. We are aware of a cyber incident at Qantas that has resulted in the release of some Qantas customers’ personal information. Learn more.

2025-06-19 11:58 am
Back to blog
Impact

This non-profit empowers young mums to live their best lives

Photo journal

Becoming a parent at a young age can be difficult at the best of times. In Mildura, one organisation is helping young mums even the odds.

For Emily (name changed), a young mum from Mildura, trying to finish her diploma while balancing the demands of two young children was an uphill battle, and she was all but ready to give up on her studies. With a three-year-old and four-month-old to care for, she had little time for much else. “Life was hard,” she says. “We were struggling to find stable accommodation.”

But then, Emily found out about Mildura-based non-profit, Zoe Support. “Since engaging with Zoe, we’ve found long-term accommodation and I’ve nearly completed my diploma,” she says. “My children enjoy spending time with the other kids at Zoe, too.”

Founded by local sociologist, social worker and researcher Anne Webster, Zoe Support is a one-stop shop that provides essential skills, mentorship, tutelage and on-site childcare for pregnant and parenting young women in the Mildura region. Since it began, the non-profit has empowered approximately 150 young mums to build a range of essential, ‘money-can’t-buy’ life skills.  

The teen birth rate in Mildura, a regional city in north-west Victoria, is 21.6 per 1000 people. That’s a third higher than the state average. Those statistics are further exacerbated by the fact that Mildura is a lower socioeconomic area. Employment and personal growth opportunities are scarce, and the traditional government support networks simply can’t do enough to plug the gaps and provide assistance to those who need it most.

With four centres spread over the Mildura region, the organisation helps mothers by providing onsite childcare for their kids while facilitating education in a range of areas – like a community hub and college rolled into one (with its very own bus service to help clients get to and from the centre). A Bank Australia Impact Fund recipient in 2019, Zoe Support will use the grant to pay the rent for one of their centres this year.

“Without that, we’d have to close the centre,” says manager Merinda Robertson, who’s been with the organisation since 2013. “These centres are based in residential properties. The children go to the on-site daycare while their mother studies. Each mum has her own desk, computer and internet access, while her child is being looked after by an educator in the same house. It’s about targeting individual needs with the most appropriate wraparound support.”

Many of Zoe Support’s clients have lived experience of trauma. Some 48% of the young women have experienced family violence, 43% have experienced substance abuse, and 70% were homeless or at risk of homelessness on intake. The organisation also helps connect women with resources in the area to help them find housing, work and any other specialist care they might need.

“We have a young mother who’s just turning 25,” says Merinda. “She will be leaving the program this year. She’s doing her diploma of community service, and she’s been doing absolutely amazingly. I know she’ll get a job in that field. I’ve seen a lot of mums grow with us, and they all say, ‘Without Zoe Support, we wouldn’t be where we are today…’”

For Merinda and the team of dedicated staff, changing young women’s lives for the better is all in a day’s work. “I get up in the morning, and I love going to work,” she says. “I was a young mother myself but I have not experienced anything like the trauma some of the Zoe mothers have. I feel privileged to walk beside these young women”.

You can find out more about Zoe Support and donate to the cause through the website.

Related stories

Impact

Partnering with purpose: Bank Australia and Muru Office Supplies

Who we do business with matters. That’s why we’re proud to announce our new partnership with Muru Office Supplies—a Supply Nation certified, Indigenous-owned business that shares our commitment to creating a more inclusive and equitable future.

Impact

“Doing well and doing good”: How Coffee Club Investment Group is creating beautiful accessible housing

In a quiet, tree-lined street just 11kms from Melbourne’s CBD, a residential development is reshaping how Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) can look and feel. Named “Bumblebee”, this ten-apartment complex is more than a housing solution – it’s an example of purpose-driven design.

Read how Specialist Disability Accommodation is being reshaped in Melbourne.

Impact

“Stories of strength, resilience and self-determination”: Victorian Aboriginal News is amplifying First Nations voices

From his van on Country to the airwaves across Victoria, Uncle Charles Pakana is amplifying First Nations voices through Victorian Aboriginal News. We spoke to Uncle Charles about how the independent media project, backed by Bank Australia, is changing the narrative around reconciliation.

Read how Uncle Charles Pakana uses his VAN as a voice for the future.

Impact

How Nalderun is helping young First Nations people thrive

On Djaara Country in Central Victoria, Bank Australia community customer grant recipient Nalderun has been changing the lives of young First Nations people for over 15 years. Their aim? To help their kids thrive and become the leaders of tomorrow.

Impact

First Nations Recognition and Respect: An update one year on from our strategy launch

In May 2024, Bank Australia launched its First Nations Recognition and Respect strategy, setting out our vision for walking together towards First Nations justice, reconciliation and self-determination. One year on, we spoke with Rafe Pfitzner Milika, our Manager Reconciliation Strategy, to reflect

Read the highlights one year on from our First Nations Recognition and Respect strategy Launch

News

We've signed up to Respect and Protect – Combating financial and domestic abuse

We’re proud to announce that Bank Australia has signed up to the ‘Respect and Protect’ program where we join like-minded customer-owned banks in updating our terms and conditions to better protect customers from domestic and financial abuse. We recognise the significant responsibility we have in add