Did you know that if you volunteer with the MGA, you can help deliver essentials to babies and children in need? Read on to learn more.
Published Date 11/05/2026
Some of you may know about the MGA's volunteer program – which is truly the backbone of the MGA itself – as our volunteers help us in an enormous variety of ways to deliver our events and services.
However, not all of our volunteering opportunities are confined to MGA programs or university life. For a long time, we've collaborated with Our Village (formerly known as St Kilda Mums) to assist them in the amazing work that they do to help babies and children in need across Victoria.
What is Our Village?
If you've participated in it or come across this initiative in our volunteering portal in the past, you may be familiar with 'St Kilda Mums'. This is the former name of the charity now known as Our Village. So, for those of you who have previously engaged with St Kilda Mums, it's the exact same thing, just with a new name! They also operate out of Clayton, a convenient location for many Monash students.
As for newcomers, Our Village is a charity whose primary aim is to collect and rehome desperately needed goods and services to babies and young children from families in need. Their website states:
'Our concept is simple: we partner with social services and maternal and child health nurses to connect families looking to donate baby and children’s goods with families who urgently need these essential items. Instead of being discarded into landfill, good quality, safe items can now provide many more families with years of use.'
You can read more about Our Village and the wonderful work they do here.
What do our volunteers do to support Our Village?
Once a month, we offer the chance for interested MGA volunteers to visit Our Village's headquarters in Clayton to help them in sorting and preparing goods which have already been donated. Such tasks might include:
- cleaning baby equipment such as prams and baby bouncers
- sorting through baby clothes
- sorting through toys.
It's a small but significant way of giving back to the community at large!
Why should you sign up for this opportunity?
Our collaboration with Our Village is unique in that it is an opportunity for our volunteers to do something outside the MGA and support the broader community, especially some of our most vulnerable.
One of our wonderful MGA volunteer leaders, Mey Siv tells us how much she's enjoyed this particular initiative in the past:
'What stood out to me most was the sense of connection. You get to meet people on a deeper level while contributing to something that genuinely helps families in need. It’s a reminder that when we come together, even small actions can make a big difference. That’s why I think it’s such a valuable opportunity for students to build community, purpose, and teamwork in a really uplifting environment.'
How can you get involved?
As we mentioned, the visits to Our Village occur on a monthly basis from 9:30am – 1:00pm. Upcoming dates are as follows:
- Friday, 12 June
- Friday, 10 July
- Friday, 14 August
A few important things to note if you want to participate in the future:
- You must be signed up to be an MGA volunteer so you can register for Our Village events via the volunteering portal. You can do that here.
- You will need a Working With Children Check (WWCC). If you don't already have one, you can apply for it here.
- You will need to organise your own transport to and from the location. If you are based in or around Clayton, this should be relatively convenient.
Have questions? Visit our FAQ page. You can also contact the MGA Volunteer Program Coordinator at mga-volunteering@monash.edu.