Margaret Skagias Celebrated at International Women's Day
CaringKids Founder and CEO Margaret Skagias was recently featured in The Greek Herald ahead of her appearance as a panellist at the Greek Festival of Sydney’s International Women’s Day ‘Balance the Scales’ event, a fitting tribute to a woman who has spent nearly three decades fighting for those who often go unseen.
A first-generation Greek Australian, Margaret draws deeply on her Hellenic heritage and the resilience of the women who came before her. Growing up navigating dual cultures, she developed a fierce commitment to fairness and equity, values that have shaped every chapter of her career across social work, public health and frontline community care.
It was her experience working as a Young Carer Coordinator that planted the seed for CaringKids. Witnessing firsthand the financial hardship and social isolation facing children who care for family members living with a disability or illness, Margaret recognised a population that had long been invisible, and decided to change that.
From those early days to a nationally recognised charity, CaringKids has now delivered more than 3,000 Joy Boxes to young carers across Australia, offering both a tangible gift and a powerful message of recognition. The partnership with Lions Australia, mobilising over 20,000 members nationwide has been central to giving the program its extraordinary reach and heart.
Margaret’s advice to women working quietly in the community sector is both simple and powerful: trust that your work has value, document your impact, grow your network, and never give up.
As she told The Greek Herald, the goal has always been twofold, change individual lives, and change the conversation.
Photo Credit:Â The Greek Herald/Eirini Alligiannis, with permission – Pictured (right to left) Andriana Simos, Chrissa Loukas-Karlsson, Margaret Skagias and Melina Haritopoulou-Sinanidou during the panel discussion
