Good news for both Why Warriors Pty and our new charitable organisation called Why Warriors Org Ltd.
Thanks to great donations Org Ltd received enough money to keep staff on the ground working on the “Hope for Health” program. While there is much talk about a tsunami of chronic disease hitting Aboriginal communities this program is going against the tide. A true grass roots program that delivers effective personal health information to a core group of Yolŋu people, in their own language, allowing them to make real life saving changes.
Why Warriors Pty Ltd has also received some good funding from Prime Minister in Cabinet to produce radio and internet education programs for Yolŋu people in their own language. This will be another game changer delivering real power in the form of fundamental information to Yolŋu people.
This great support from donors means “Hope for Health” can;
- Continue to support the Yolŋu participants make big life changes to their health and find new ways to keep the positive change growing ever wider in their own families.
- Consolidate the “Hope for Health” program. Knowing the core program works staff can now employ stable and efficient admin platforms and a good website.
This will help them,
- Find different ways to run health retreats so more Yolŋu people can experience the healthy living way, and be convinced to make the hard life changes.
- innovate / develop new ways to grow the program from its grass roots.
- Respond to inquiries coming from all over Arnhem Land and Australia to share the model so others can start the same ground breaking program in their communities and language groups.
This year should see Why Warriors Org Ltd and “Hope for Health” become a stable force for real culturally appropriate, positive lifestyle change. Great ideas are growing out of this truly Yolŋu solution to this modern day health crisis.
The funding from Prime Minister in Cabinet to produce radio and internet education programs give us a chance pull together 30 years of information and knowledge to deliver radio and internet education programs giving Yolŋu access to a wide range of information that they have not been able to access.
Wherever I travel across Arnhem Land Yolŋu have hundreds of questions that they are desperately seeking answers to. Answers they find very difficult understanding in English, like understanding what lead and lead poisoning meant as in our last News Letter. English is still just so confusing for Yolŋu people at the higher intangible/concept level. The people’s own language Yolŋu Matha is concept rich but it has its roots in the Asian languages and so is very different from English, making English concepts very strange/foreign.
We will keep you up to date as we produce different material letting you get a glimpse of why it is difficult for Yolŋu people to access mainstream information.
For years I have talked about the need for this service. I am excited for the times ahead.
Richard Trudgen
