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Waltja Celebrates 10 years of Doing Good Work With Families

Waltja Tjutangku Palyapayi Aboriginal Corporation (Waltja) is celebrating 10 years of working to improve the position of Aboriginal families living in remote communities in Central Australia. Women from Waltja’s member communities will all be in Alice Springs to celebrate Waltja’s work and to acknowledge our various funding bodies and partner organisations.

A Waltja Committee spokesperson said “we’ll have all the women who can get in from the communities here during this important week. We’re all really proud of Waltja. We work strongly together, committee and staff, black and white. Waltja works with the remote families and communities to help keep the services running the way they want them to. It’s been a hard few years and things are still pretty confusing for people in the communities targeted by the Intervention. But things are sounding better with a new Federal Government and their big apology. We’ve still got lots to celebrate.”

Celebrations begin on Saturday 8th March at 6pm at Witchettys in the Araluen Arts Precinct with the Fundraising Art Exhibition. There will be large collaborative paintings for sale as well as several paintings donated by Papunya Tula Artists. Painted canvas diary covers (book covers), many by well known artists, will be a main feature of the exhibition. Other items include wooden artefacts, painted enamel cups and seed necklaces. Over 1000 original art works will be available for purchase. All proceeds going to support Waltja’s capacity to address emergency relief and community support needs.

The AGM and the launch of Waltja’s “10 Year Story,” a publication outlining our achievements, is on Wed.12th March.
Waltja’s Open Day at our Alice Springs office at 3 Ghan Road on Thurs13th March from 10.00 am – 2.30 pm.. There will be displays, photos and videos, a sausage sizzle, flour drum cooking and more. It will also be an opportunity Everyone is invited to come and see what we do and meet Waltja Committee and staff.

For more information, contact us on (08) 8953 4488.

Background information on Waltja’s work with remote communities

Waltja is an Aboriginal Association whose members live in remote communities across Central Australia. We are governed by a strong and active Management Committee of senior Aboriginal women who meet regularly and have direct involvement in Waltja’s programs and services.

Waltja’s office is at 3 Ghan Rd in Alice Springs, but the workers are on the road and living or working in the remote communities most of their time.

Waltja operates according to community development principles for Aboriginal self-determination:

• The family is the foundation of the Aboriginal community and Indigenous identity. Service delivery is most effective when it occurs in the context of the broad family as understood by Aboriginal people.
• partnerships with Aboriginal communities are the most effective way of providing services to respond to identified needs.
• The most effective services are provided by local community people who have access to training and ongoing support.

Waltja workers and Management Committee provide training and support for remote communities to develop and manage their own services, such as child care, out of school hours care, youth programs, disability brokerage, aged care and nutrition and research programs. Waltja staff work side by side with community members to get programs running well. They help with funding applications, governance, operational plans, recruiting and employment, staff support and training and financial management.

Waltja Publications Unit produces books, posters, reports, and Family News magazine. Family News promotes positive community programs, keeps everyone informed about funding, programs and events, and encourages people to be proud of themselves and their communities.

Waltja provides the Carelink aged and disability referral service for remote communities, in partnership with Frontier Services. We also have a partnership with the Mental Health Association of Central Australia promoting men’s strengths and we offer a Reconnect service for young people and families requiring support. As a Registered Training Organisation Waltja’s Training Nintirintjaku initiative promotes jobs for Aboriginal training support workers.

The Waltja website is www.waltja.org.au. Waltja also has a website for people with a disability who want to get information about employment, education or training options. This website is www.disAbilityCentral.com.au