The Piriwa Hub is in Balgo (Wirrimanu), on the northern edge of the Great Sandy Desert and on the western edge of the Tanami Desert. It is home to one of Western Australia’s most remote communities.
Life in very remote areas is challenging, even at the best of times, but the COVID pandemic and flooding in 2023 further increased social isolation. For many women in Balgo, rising food and fuel costs, limited transport options and growing community pressures were taking a heavy toll on their mental health and wellbeing.
In search of meaningful and sustainable community-led solutions to increasing mental health concerns, the Piriwa Hub partnered with their long-term friends at Enterprise Partnerships WA (EPWA) to apply for the In a Good Place program. Together, they secured a $20,000 grant, funded by APS Foundation and CCI Giving, to help support the social and emotional health and wellbeing of local women.
With the grant, Piriwa and EPWA worked to bring women of various ages together and planned a series of on-Country trips to hunt, gather seasonal bush foods, share meals, support each other and connect with culturally safe services in the community. Grant money enabled Piriwa to purchase fuel, safety equipment and food for the trips. Depending on the season, women were able to collect bush foods, hunt for goanna, catch fish and cook up a damper for everyone – all while Elders shared stories and ‘bush’ knowledge with younger women and children.
In total, Piriwa hosted 12 bush trips and 13 ‘Thank You Volunteer and Yarning’ lunches, reaching and benefiting more than 50 people across the community. The Njamme sisters (Mary, Monica and Kathryn) are a part of the Piriwa leadership team and they were most proud that they were able to create an opportunity for Elders and older women to return to Country, share their stories, visit the old Balgo mission site and other significant places, and pass on their knowledge.
Other service providers and newcomers to Balgo were invited to join the bush trips, learn about Piriwa’s work and connect with community members. Senior women from the Warlyirti Art Centre, who supported the trips, observed that young women and mothers who were stressed in the community, became relaxed in the bush and everyone was happy when they come back in from a day on Country.
During the bush trips, Piriwa was able to engage young women and spend time with them when they were worried or concerned for their wellbeing. They also enabled generations to come together in shared experiences. Dulcie, an Elder, shared her pride in three young teenagers from another community who worked all day to free their bogged cars, while women were collecting firewood. She felt proud knowing they were strong, hardworking and willing to help.
EPWA supported the Piriwa leadership team to learn about the grant process and evaluation requirements and helped the women to develop partnerships and meet their aims. EPWA facilitators observed that the Piriwa leadership team grew more confident in decision-making, managing volunteers and inviting others to join and learn about Piriwa’s mission.
In a yarning interview at the end of the project, Kathryn spoke about the pride she feels being able to lead and make decisions about activities in the community and manage the grant budget. She also shared the community’s frustration at a lack of access to 4WD vehicles making it hard to go out on Country, voicing a desire to develop stronger partnerships with Ranger groups so people can have wellbeing trips on Country.
Not only has the project facilitated activities to boost the social connections and mental health and wellbeing of women in Balgo, but it has also empowered the Piriwa leadership team with increased skills to address further challenges in the community and seek solutions.
Practical, culturally safe and empowering, this collaborative project strengthened cultural identity, agency, and the mental, social and emotional wellbeing of women in Balgo.
Round 10 of the In a Good Place program opens on Tuesday 1 July.