Giving babies a safe start

Dedicated. Energetic. Giving

Hannah Andrevski was on maternity leave when she wanted to pass on some of her high-quality baby items to people less fortunate than herself.

She could not find such a redistribution service in Canberra. So, after doing her research, she decided to start her own charity.

Despite having her newborn and a toddler to care for and no experience running a charity, Hannah recruited a team of volunteers and launched Roundabout Canberra in February 2018.

So far, the charity has provided more than one thousand children with packs of items that may include safety-checked car seats, cots and prams as well as linen, clothing and toys.

“When a service is working with a family in need of essential items for their children, they order exactly what that client needs, so the items differ from client to client. We also always include lots of consumables like nappies and wipes,” says Hannah.

“We believe every child deserves a safe start and every family deserves dignity.”

She is chuffed to be voted a Westfield Local Hero. “I have worked hard to build a charity that makes a difference in our local community, so it’s amazing to have that recognised by the community.”

Hannah has returned to her paid work but devotes many hours a week to running volunteer sessions, packing orders, checking car seats and managing relationships with local social workers and organisations.

“The families that we support experience a range of challenges, with the predominant factor being financial strain. Other challenges include social isolation, family violence, disability and homelessness,” says Hannah.

Roundabout has also made a significant contribution to the environment.

“Since we opened, we've saved approximately nine tonnes of baby and children's items and equipment from landfill,” she says.

Westfield Local Heroes are nominated and voted for by their communities, with the three top finalists per Westfield centre each awarded a $10,000 grant for their affiliated organisation.

Roundabout Canberra will use its grant to provide one hundred family support packs with specially selected items.

“Being able to help those extra families will make a big difference,” says Hannah.

__For further information on the Westfield Local Heroes program, click here. __