HULA-HOOPS FITNESS – 2021

KEY TO UNLOCKING GENDER INEQUALITY AND SOCIAL ISOLATION

Didi Bahini Samaj Victoria (DBSV), a leading women-led organization in Victoria, introduced “Hula-hoops fitness” as a learning and exercise project in the family groups. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted and constrained community participation, this project came about in response to the need to allow women and their family to break the social isolation and to promote connection with broader communities of women during and post COVID-19 lockdown.

The rationale behind the project is that participating in hula-hoops session will help women to boost the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of her and her family, to encourage them to use online platforms to re-establish their contact with other women and family and to reduce isolation. Hence, an immediate goal of the project is enhancing community participation during lockdown whereas the long-term goal of the project is to develop Hula hoops skills and demonstrate these skills in the larger group. Nepalese migrant women residing in Moreland and surrounding LGAs were focused and encouraged to participate in the project.

Around 50 hula-hoops were distributed among 50 women for this project. Women played a central role in this project who received a Hula-hoops made by another woman. Participants received 8 sessions of one-hour Hula-hoops training from an experienced instructor, Tara, via the online platform Zoom. Project coordinator Dr Jamuna Parajuli, president of DBSV, facilitated the project with the support of other members of the organisation. Hence, the “hula-hoops fitness” session offered a chance to promote social inclusion and community participation via learning a new skill, develop resilience among women and promote the physical, emotional, and social well-being of women and her family.