The Foundation celebrates NAIDOC week

July 3, 2012

The Foundation joins all Australians in celebrating NAIDOC Week 2012

This NAIDOC week, we're celebrating the amazing achievements of Indigenous Australians who are working with The Foundation to improve Indigenous health and raise cultural awareness.

Angela (right) is a liaison officer with the Anyinginyi Congress Aboriginal Medical Service. Photo: Barry Skipsey The fantastic results from our work in Indigenous Australia, as outlined in our recently released 2011 Annual Report, are only possible because we work closely with Indigenous leaders and organisations at a grass roots level.

NAIDOC week is a celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, giving us all a chance to recognise the contributions of Indigenous Australians in various fields.

The theme of NAIDOC Week 2012, which runs from the July 1-8, is focused on the 40^th anniversary of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy—acknowledging the key contributors to its long history.

The Foundation supports this celebration and continues to work with Indigenous Australians to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait people—and support indigenous cultural expression.

Some key achievements in 2011

Eye Health

Increased eye surgery rates for Indigenous people from remote Central Australia and Barkley region

Delivered cameras to remote eye clinics in Northern Territory for early detection of diabetic retinopathy

Funded and trained eye health professionals and community health workers

Continued initiatives to fight trachoma in remote communities

Essential Health Care

Helped provide health checks to detect and treat diseases like diabetes

Performed growth checks on 493 Indigenous children in the APY Lands and applied action plans to improve health

Leadership

Supported the Close the Gap coalition

Supported advocacy training to health professionals and leaders

Young People

Helped a youth drop-in-centre in far west NSW to build Indigenous teenager’s life skills and self-esteem

Supported school holiday programs for Indigenous students to learn about culture from their elders

Nutrition

Provided Aboriginal infants with a nutritional supplement to combat iron deficiency

Trained community health workers to improve nutrition in communities and provided mothers with support to target healthy feeding of infants

Women’s Development

Supported the election of the Banatjarl Women’s Council—giving women of the Jawoyn region a stronger voice on a range of decisions that impact them.

Supported the development and distribution of Mibala Wei – Art and Craft our way, a book by female artisans of Gulin Gulin near Katherine. Books are now being used by women’s centres in the Northern Territory to develop local craft enterprises.

Tagged:

Aboriginal communities