Ngurra Ninti - Living Skills

Waltja’s ‘Ngurra Ninti’ (“clever for housing”) Living Skills project is a community development and training project coordinated by Waltja in partnership with four Western Desert communities: Kintore, Mt Liebig, Papunya and Ikuntji.

The project is for a three year period 2007-2009. Intended project outcomes are:

• Strong and positive focus on housing issues in each community with Council, Indigenous Housing Officers IHOs, community services and families all aware of issues, aware of options and more confident to address issues as they arise.
• Research report on issues and needs related to housing on the Western Desert communities.
• Improved health due to improved living conditions
• Extended life of housing infrastructure
• Ngurra Ninti workers on each community who are trained, confident, knowledgeable community facilitators.
• Practical training for community residents in reporting maintenance problems, and in basic repairs and maintenance: evidence of application of learned skills

These are the principles for Waltja’s management of the Ngurra Ninti project:

• partnership between Waltja and the four communities, through MOAs, Advisory Group membership, collaboration with Indigenous Housing Officers (IHOs), employment of community participants, public events on communities
• Combining both a ‘whole of community’ approach through public events with a ‘family approach’ of working quietly with families in their houses
• Strengthening community capacity to address own housing issues through this project, supporting IHOs to work with the communities
• Employment of community workers to do community facilitation work in collaboration with IHOs and project coordinator and trainers
• Respect for Western Desert Aboriginal family structure and housing/lifestyle choices
• Research and training will be referenced to the 9 Healthy Living Practices in the National Indigenous Housing Guide: Washing People; Washing Clothes and Bedding; Removing Waste Safely; Improving Nutrition; Reducing crowding and the risk of spreading infectious diseases; Reducing negative contact between people and animals, insects and vermin; Reducing Dust; Controlling the temperature of the living environment; Reducing trauma/ increasing safety.
• Waltja will support the training and/or skill recognition of all Aboriginal people involved in this project. Community workers (Ngurra Ninti workers and IHOs where appropriate) will be accredited against Cert II Community Services (as a minimum qualification).

Waltja will support communities to meet identified training needs and to access funding for training. Wherever possible and appropriate to community needs, the training will be accredited (one or more units of a recognised VET qualification).