This year during NAIDOC week we worked alongside our corporate partners across Sydney, Newcastle and Brisbane to provide Indigenous housing with much needed repairs and renovations. We mobilised 180 corporate volunteers who gave up their time and supported our NAIDOC week activities, positively impacting the lives of 90 Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islanders this year. The volunteers lent a helping hand with maintenance and repairs of shelters for Aboriginal women and children experiencing domestic violence.
NAIDOC Theme
This year’s theme celebrates the unyielding spirit of our communities and invites all to stand in solidarity, amplifying the voices that have long been silenced. “Blak, Loud and Proud” encapsulates the unapologetic celebration of Indigenous identity, empowering us to stand tall in our heritage and assert our place in the modern world. This theme calls for a reclamation of narratives, an amplification of voices, and an unwavering commitment to justice and equality. It invites all Australians to listen, learn, and engage in meaningful dialogue, fostering a society where the wisdom and contributions of Indigenous peoples are fully valued and respected.
Our Corporate Parnters Volunteers this year
Our partners include AGA Assistance, Allegion, ARN, Aurecon, Bloomberg, Helia, Holcim, Hunter Water, James Hardie, Morgans, Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation (NPCF), Origin, ServiceNow, Seymour Whyte, Stantec, Turner & Townsend, WIPRO and WT Partnership. We’d also like to extend thanks to our long-term partner Dulux for their ongoing support of our programs through the donation of paint.
Corporate Partner Spotlight
The corporate volunteers provided essential repairs to domestic violence shelters for Aboriginal women and children. Our partnership with Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation in particular marks a significant step forward in our commitment to fostering community well-being and support across New South Wales, specifically in the Hunter Valley region through our Brush with Kindness program.
Habitat for Humanity Australia and NPCF volunteers worked in partnership with Awabakal. Awabakal is a community-controlled health service, delivering culturally appropriate healthcare services, advocacy and social and emotional support to our people. Awabakal is committed to providing secure and affordable housing to our local Aboriginal community in the Newcastle area for approximately 30 years.
What our Organisational Partners Say
The work our corporate volunteers do is invaluable to organisations like Awabakal and The Aboriginal Women and Children’s Crisis Service and to the vulnerable members of our community. The Aboriginal Women and Children’s Crisis Service shared on behalf of their team and beneficiaries the impact our volunteers have made:
“The Aboriginal Women and Children’s Crisis Service want to say a massive thank you to Habitat for Humanity Australia- Brush with Kindness, Habitat Women and the endless amount of generous partners that flow through our properties through the year. This year we have seen a stronger sense of community and partnership with Habitat for Humanity Australia, a highlight for us was seeing student Keely, who graduated from the Habitat Women program and return to us as a Site Supervisor. We think this really sets an awesome example to our women that anything they put their mind to is possible.
Thanks to Habitat for Humanity Australia who in the last few months, have repainted and brought our crisis refuge back to life. We have a new sense of pride bringing Aboriginal women and children fleeing DV into this space. In addition, Habitat for Humanity Australia also repainted a transitional property that we had sitting vacant for almost 2 months (amidst a national housing crisis!) due to the state of the property. It’s true that a fresh coat of paint brings so much life, value and warmth to a property. It was a 2 day project, and we had a family housed in it the next day!
Client J was so very grateful for a new home after what felt like months of fighting a system that is supposed to be supporting her. It was the beginning of a healing home.
Currently Brush with Kindness teams are working away on a project that has also been sitting vacant for a long period of time due to the state of the property. We already have a family ready to be housed here. We cannot wait to see the healing cycle start again for another precious family.“
“The value of Habitat for Humanity Australia goes so far beyond the here and now. A lifetime of impact on Indigenous lives, one brush, one team, one smile at a time.“
Partnering with Purpose
Working in partnerships with organisation is at the heart of what we do at Habitat for Humanity Australia. It is through partnerships we are able to bring organisations, government bodies, communities and corporations to work towards the same vision of a world where everyone has a safe and decent place to live. Working with like-minded community organisations like Awabakal and The Aboriginal Women and Children’s Crisis Service is integral to our ability to make an impact on a community level through our volunteer work.
Our corporate partners provide us with the much-needed support to keep our program running and the opportunity for our volunteers to make an impact on the ground.
If you and your team want to make life life-changing impact next year during NAIDOC week then we invite you to join us empower through Shelter. Visit https://helpinghands.online/naidoc/ to express your interest in next year’s activities.