Wimmera Development Association launches new program to help Wimmera migrants navigate MyGov

As the head of a sustainable service turning coffee cups into fertaliser, Ms Guardia has been using computers for graphic design and marketing for years.

It is what makes her the perfect teacher for some of the Wimmera's migrant community.

Unlike Ms Guardia, many migrants in the region can find it difficult to navigate essential programs such as MyGov.

And with the added complications of COVID-19 this year, applying for government programs such as JobKeeper or Jobseeker has become even more essential.

The Wimmera Development Association hopes to bridge this gap by utilising the expertise of people such as Ms Guardia to help migrants in the community based on their individual needs.

"For me, I did all these applications on MyGov by myself," Ms Guardia said.

"For someone that spends all their time on the phone and computer, it is easy.

"But the challenge is that when you're with people who haven't spent time on the computer, or don't have a phone, or don't have a surname, it can get difficult."

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Ms Guardia also hoped to use her unique skills as a migrant from Argentina to help others out.

"If there is someone in the area who speaks Spanish, I would be able to speak the same language to help them better understand," she said.

"Hopefully I can help people out."

Wimmera Development Association settlement officer Sara Barron said 10 people of different backgrounds had volunteers to help.

"Historically, there has been a real gap in this service," she said.

"Signing up for a MyGov account itself is not that difficult, but when you don't have a passport, documents in different names, misspellings on different accounts ... or only one first name and surname, it can create real delays in being able to set anything up."

Ms Barron said while it was of particular importance this year, she hoped the program could be extended beyond the 2020.

"To be supporting people locally with these things, that is just great," she said.

"Anyone that needs help can reach out to us, then we go through a matching process depending on the level of complexity, technical knowledge and language skills of each person."

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Ms Guardia said she was looking forward to giving back some of the support she received from the WDA and the broader community when she moved to the region.

Ms Guardia said she received support to get a Working With Children Check, a drivers licence and to improve her resume.

"It was all these little steps that led me to getting some work," Ms Guardia said.

"When I came here, it was a risk, because I was leaving all my friends and all these people in the city where I was (Fitzroy, Melbourne).

"Now I am very happy because I can see so much more opportunity here than in the city."

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