Adult education and community capacity building: The case of African-Australian women in the Northern Territory.

The Northern Territory (NT is the smallest settlement location for migrants and refugees in Australia). Over the past decade there has been a significant increase in the number of Sub-Saharan African women migrants and refugees in the NT. This influx has generated a range of government and community responses to build these African migrants and refugees' capacity to integrate into their host community. This article is inspired by the author's personal experience as an African immigrant woman and an adult educator, and it is informed by her doctoral study in progress with 23 African-Australian migrant and refugee women in the NT as participants. The study uses qualitative methods informed by feminist perspectives to explore how these women utilise adult education techniques to build their capacity to integrate into wider Australian society. It examines the underlying reasons why the participants engage in adult education, and their experiences of struggles and achievements. It reports on preliminary findings which indicate that education is a potent force which has enabled the participants to find meaning in the challenges of their existence. The stories of the participants attest to empowerment which can inform opportunities and educational pathways offered to other migrant and refugee groups in Australia and elsewhere.