South Australian Working Group focused on COVID-19 preparation and recovery

The First Nations Philanthropic Funders Working Group (FNPFWG) represents key Aboriginal-led health organisations in South Australia. The Working Group was established to oversee the creation of a community-informed and community-led model to direct philanthropic funding for First Nations communities across the state.

An initial priority of the FNPFWG is to work alongside their communities to respond to the impacts of COVID-19 in ways that best suit their specific situations – ensuring that Aboriginal health is in Aboriginal hands.

The FNPFWG has formed a close partnership with the Fay Fuller Foundation, who provide ongoing resourcing to the Working Group, and more recently, with FRRR. As the Funding Coordinator, FRRR is assisting to administer funds received from major donor partner, Paul Ramsay Foundation.

This funding is dedicated to addressing priorities identified by the Working Group, and the communities they represent, to ensure Aboriginal people are prepared to manage the ongoing impacts of COVID 19 in a way that works best for them. The combination of this partnership approach, together with flexible funding, will ensure solutions for First Nations people in remote, rural, and regional communities are locally-led and locally-determined.

Read the full media release here.

To read more about this initiative visit: https://www.fayfullerfoundation.com.au/first-nations-led-health-funding

In rural communities where enduring drought and devastating bushfires have left an emotional toll, a cancer diagnosis can lead to a particularly isolating and challenging experience. With support from our Strengthening Rural Communities program, Macksville Community Health was able to make a real difference in the wellbeing of women living along the Nambucca river and living with or in remission of cancer.

As a subsidiary of the Mid North Coast Local Health District (MNCLHD), Mackville Community Health provides healthcare for communities in the Nambucca Valley, NSW. Many of their successful support systems and programs are designed to address the impacts of the recent drought and bushfires.

Thanks to the support of the Fire Fight Australia Fund, they received a grant of $10,000. This allowed them to host a three-day retreat at the Yarrahapinni Ecology Centre for women living with or surviving cancer, who had been affected by the 2019/20 bushfires in the region.

The Sisters Retreat s Guided by Local Gumbaynggirr Women in a ‘Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony’, the retreat used engaging activities to educate the participants on a range of different coping mechanisms that allowed them to feel empowered and regain some control over their own lives.

The strategic nature of this program helps the organisation tackle important issues in rural communities such as declining mental health in the aftermath of the bushfires. Of the women reporting poor mental health, many were single or living remotely, with little access to their support network. By attending the Sisters Retreat, these women were able to connect with others in similar situations.

McGrath Breast Cancer Nurse, Carolyn Cross said that without grant, the project would not have gone ahead.