In the back room of an old footy club\u2014one of those spaces that carries the scent of instant coffee, eucalyptus, and worn lino\u2014a group gathered for a first aid session. A baby fussed. A teenager scrolled quietly on her phone. A toddler chewed on a toy truck. Across the table, a grandmother watched with crossed arms and cautious curiosity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At first, she didn\u2019t say much. But during the CPR demonstration, she leaned forward, her eyes suddenly sharp with focus. Later, during a break, she quietly pulled aside Grace Larson, a paediatric intensive care nurse and co-founder of The Sisterhood Project. \u201cWe\u2019ve always had to just wait and hope,\u201d the grandmother said. \u201cNow we know what to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That moment stayed with Larson. The woman was one of three generations in the room helping raise the same baby. It wasn\u2019t a formal training centre or hospital seminar\u2014just a dusty room in a small rural town, where help doesn\u2019t always come quickly and emergencies rarely wait for business hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Sisterhood Project didn\u2019t begin with a business plan or a big budget\u2014it began with listening. With a background in paediatric intensive care, Larson had witnessed the devastating speed with which a child\u2019s life can change\u2014and the powerful difference made when someone nearby knows how to respond. Whether it’s performing back blows for choking, starting chest compressions, or recognising the signs that it\u2019s time to call for help, these skills can be lifesaving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In rural areas, families are three times more likely to lose a child to preventable injury than those in cities. Larson has met mothers who\u2019ve driven hours just to access basic baby and child first aid training. She\u2019s spoken to fathers who\u2019ve never been shown what to do if their baby stops breathing. And she\u2019s listened to grandparents who\u2019ve stepped in as full-time carers\u2014without any formal support or training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So The Sisterhood Project took the education to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Starting small, they visited community halls, playgroups, and farm kitchens\u2014anywhere families felt safe and comfortable. They covered the essentials: choking, fevers, CPR. Materials were translated where needed, language simplified, and examples tailored to rural and farm life. They brought colouring books for the kids, and when possible, sandwiches for parents who hadn\u2019t eaten all day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes, the sessions weren\u2019t just about information. They were about holding space\u2014for fear, for guilt, for the stories people carry. One mother, tearfully recounting her child\u2019s recent febrile seizure, whispered, \u201cIf only you had come earlier, I\u2019d have known what to do\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In just two years, The Sisterhood Project has trained more than 500 parents and carers across Victoria, NSW, and WA. But Larson believes what matters most isn\u2019t the numbers\u2014it\u2019s the quiet confidence that grows in those rooms. It\u2019s the ripple effect, when someone goes home and teaches a neighbour how to start CPR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The project is now developing a free, open-access app so that lifesaving skills can reach even the most remote households. It\u2019s not a replacement for human connection, but it\u2019s another lifeline for those navigating parenthood in isolation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This work aligns closely with the theme of Rural Healthcare Across the Lifespan. While the focus is often on emergencies, at its heart, The Sisterhood Project is about strengthening families\u2014across generations. It\u2019s teenagers stepping up to learn choking management before babysitting their nieces. It\u2019s elders reflecting, \u201cWe didn\u2019t have this when I was young, but we need it now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a country as vast and varied as Australia, healthcare isn\u2019t always about hospitals or helicopters. Sometimes, it\u2019s about a quiet moment in a footy club, a new mum learning how to keep her baby safe, and a grandmother who no longer needs to wait and hope\u2014but knows exactly what to do.<\/p>\n
![\"Empowering](\"https:\/\/ruralhealth.org.au\/partyline\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/91-sisterhood-tb-300x300.jpg\")
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