Joy Sawiche Juma

Joy Sawiche Juma migrated to Australia from Kenya in 2004 as a highly-skilled intensive care paediatric nurse with 14 years of experience. Joy has shared her expertise, compassion and community spirit with communities in Horsham and Ballarat. In 2013, Joy was recognised in Victoria’s Multicultural Awards for Excellence for her contribution to service delivery in health and community services.

Joy undertook further training in neonatal nursing and currently works in midwifery, sharing her extensive experience in paediatric intensive care, midwifery and antenatal and neonatal care with regional families. She also runs Joyful Hands where she teaches traditional Kenyan post-natal and infant massage to parents and carers.

As the current chair of the Ballarat Regional Multicultural Council Joy has a key role in supporting migrants and refugees, bringing diverse communities together, advocating for appropriate services and practices, and providing a warm welcome to new residents.

Joy’s professionalism and integrity are highly valued by everyone she works with, as are her warmth, humour, generosity and strength. She is a force for good and a champion of positive change in the community.