Mubali, which means ‘pregnant’ in the Gamilaroi language, began in May 2004 and used an arts intervention process to improve the health of pregnant indigenous women, young mothers (15 – 25 years) and their babies in the Moree district. It stemmed from concern among local health services that this group of women were not getting access to pre-natal advice and often only sought medical assistance as their babies were being born. BE was engaged to bring the women into early and regular contact with Gamilaroi Community Midwifery Service at Moree Base Hospital.

At a series of visual art workshops held in a special room at Moree Base Hospital, the young women made and then painted plaster casts of their pregnant bellies, mentored by the artists (aunties) in the community. During these sessions, the midwives and health professionals were able to give valuable messages about maternal and baby care, nutrition, mental health, dental health, parentlng and breastfeeding. The aunties, who are elders in the community, were part of the process.

The artworks and painted casts formed part of a popular exhibition at the Moree Plains Regional Gallery. Of the first group of ten participants, nine were still breastfeeding twelve months later and the average birth weight of their babies was significantly higher than those of babies born to women who had not been part of Mubali. Significantly, the young participants were also better educated about pre- and post-natal care and were able to share important health messages with other pregnant women in their community.

The Mubali approach has provided an effective means for the Moree midwives to connect with the young indigenous women of their region, a group that previously rarely sought professional help for their pregnancies. The project now has a life of its own, with the midwives using the Mubali model as part of their overall program of health care for new mothers in Moree. Mubali also forms part of the of the Connections – Healthy Families, Healthy Communities strategy.

Its success was recognized in October 2005 when the then NSW Health Minister John Hatzistergos presented the project with a State Government Health Department award, the Baxter Consumer Participation Award.

The success of Mubali and the replicability of the process has been recognized by Goldman Sachs JB Were and the project is currently being rolled out as Ngarrwa in Nambucca and Bowraville, NSW, and in  WA. The process and methodology has been documented and a kit has been produced (The BE wAy), so that many other communities can replicate this strategy in their own unique way, achieving similar results for young mums in their communities.

For further information about this project, please contact the BE office on 02 6772 0101 or at admin@beyondempathy.org.au