When Esterina Machok looks back on her first 10 years in Australia, the dream of a free life was often more like a succession of small nightmares. But like many South Sudanese women, Ester was born into adversity, and was never going to let new challenges stand in her way.
Besides, after a decade in Australia, she had six children who depended on her – and a group of friends for whom she has become something of an inspiration.
Ester landed in Brisbane with three children in 2009, leaving her recently separated husband in Sydney. She could speak only a few words of English, barely understood her eldest daughter (who only spoke English), and was living in her aunt’s living room “with three kids and a broken heart”.
So she started studying, determined to learn the language that was all around her. She made some new friends, including other single mums, and then her husband returned to her in 2010. “We had another daughter and called her Joy,” says Ester.
But in 2015, the family was involved in a major car accident, and Ester learned in the hospital that she was pregnant. Her daughter Lina was sick from the start. “At 10 months she couldn’t move her hands or her neck; she was sleeping all the time. The doctors said she was OK, but I knew she really wasn’t… At 18 months, they finally diagnosed her with a developmental delay.”
Then came COVID, and more challenges. Ester didn’t have the skills to help her children study online, and struggled to get support through NDIS. Funds for Lina’s physio and speech therapy seemed to dry up overnight. Ester reached out to the Queensland Program of Assistance to Survivors of Torture and Trauma, which put her in touch with the Arise Women Support Association (AWSA), a Brisbane-based group that was delivering Good Things Australia’s Digital Sisters and AI for Good programs.
Instant learning
Early last year, Ester was a participant in AWSA’s first AI for Good class. Within minutes, she says, she could see “a new future” on her mobile screen.
“It was amazing, learning how to use Google Translate and online searches – and then Rosemary [the mentor] took me straight into the NDIS portal,” she says. “I could see the plan for my daughter, where the money was going… suddenly it all made sense.”
Rosemary Kajivora says Ester was an exceptionally fast learner, and was able to help some other participants in her very first class.
“She’d studied Arabic and was able to help some of the ladies using Google Translate and ChatGPT.”
Rosemary says the flexible nature of the AI for Good curriculum enables her to tailor lessons to the technology that individual participants are using.
“Most want to get more out of their GPS apps, or write resumés or job applications, or navigate through myGov – which nearly everyone uses.”
For Ester, the six lessons she’s attended so far have revealed boundless opportunities.
“I’m now working remotely for a support organisation, I’m talking to my family in South Sudan on Zoom, and I’m sending regular emails to my kids’ teachers and Lina’s plan manager – which saves me having to drive an hour to see them,” she says.
“We’ve found a good physio who’s helped Lina build her muscles, and she’s now standing on her own! She’s going to a special needs school, which she absolutely loves. Before now she just liked to stay in her room – but now she’ll come out if we have visitors.”
From participant to teacher
“When you see those ladies smile – or hear about the amazing cover letter that ChatGPT helped them write – that makes you really happy!” – Rosemary Kajivora, mentor, AI for Good program
Grace Oryem, AWSA’s president, says, “Ester’s gone from being a participant to helping others during classes.”
“Online learning is not so easy for our ladies because back home no one has a computer and everyone’s afraid of expressing themselves… it’s very different in Australia.”
To date, AWSA has run 45 Digital Sisters sessions and 20 AI for Good classes, with over 260 participants – and numbers steadily climbing. While the organisation doesn’t yet have its own premises, the six mentors hold classes wherever they can: in people’s garages and living rooms, libraries or community halls, even local parks.
“We like libraries where there are activities for kids, and where we can use their computers,” says Mary Anne Awasi, who volunteers as AWSA’s treasurer.
“Back home mothers would look after the children and cook, and it was much easier to have time together. So these classes are a Godsend. We can chat and have coffee, share information about everyday things. Someone will suggest a new app to look at – and we’ll be off learning something new!”
“The loneliness and isolation of women who come to this country as widows, or if their relationships fall apart after they arrive – these are the women we want to help. Look at Ester: she was struggling so much, but then she discovered our group and now she’s teaching these skills to others. What a blessing she is!”
Lifesaving help
Rosemary Kajivora says she regularly visits Good Things’ digital skills library to educate herself on new tools and apps.
“Some of these things can literally be lifesaving. Ester learned very quickly about myGov and My NDIS, and she’s shown other women who have disabled children how they work. Women who come here from the Arabic-speaking world tend to struggle with the language when they arrive – so someone like Ester can really help them.”
For Ester Machok, the AI for Good group has become like the family she left behind in South Sudan – a source of deep comfort and support.
“I’ve learned that if something’s wrong you should always share it – you should never be quiet because of shyness or poor English,” she says. “We like to share ways to support our children’s homework, to talk and engage with teenagers.
“We’ve become a sisterhood, really. Even though we’re from different countries, we are all together – sharing the best ways of living in Australia.”
Digital Sisters: AI for Good – program snapshot
- Run by Good Things Australia in partnership with Telstra and Microsoft.
- 20 community organisations are participating around the country.
- 40 bilingual digital mentors have been trained.
- 625 women have been supported to date.
- Participants come from 55 countries and speak 57 languages.
Outcomes reported by participants
- Increased AI knowledge: 86%
Improved confidence to identify and verify AI content: 86%
Increased ability to use AI safely: 66% - Stronger social connections: 64%
- Increased everyday independence: 67%
- Satisfaction with the training or support received: 86%
- Top 5 learning goals: Staying safe online; accessing e-government services; managing families’ health; finding employment; using online banking.
Source: AI for Good Program Impact, January 2025
[Article Written by Ralph Johnstone]