Our friends in Watarrka need our help
Over the past decade, Braemar have been developing a strong bond with the community of Lilla, an aboriginal community in the Watarrka National Park, in Central Australia. Each year since 2009, during the July school holiday break, a group of Year 9 students and accompanying teachers and parents have travelled to Lilla to assist with community service. The feedback from the trip is always overwhelmingly positive – from both our Braemar community who travel, and from the Lilla community and the team at Remote Tours, who host us.
The COVID-19 crisis has had a profound impact on the community in Lilla, Remote Tours as a business, and the population of Central Australia more generally. Tourism has sadly come to a standstill and travel restrictions have been imposed limiting access to remote communities. The Watarrka Foundation explain that “it’s the close-knit nature of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities that put them at particular risk”.
In response to the critical situation, and in an effort to protect the communities from exposure to COVID-19, the Watarrka Foundation, together with Reg from Remote Tours and Christine from the Watarrka School, have developed ‘Feed the Watarrka Community’ program. The program functions as a delivery service, allowing ample meals and food items to be safely prepared using the Remote Tours kitchen before being delivered to the local communities.
As it is for all of us, COVID-19 is a very real threat for these communities. If you are inclined to support our friends in Lilla, and the amazing work of Remote Tours and the Watarrka Foundation there are two links below where you can donate directly.
These remote aboriginal communities are so precious – any one of the many students, staff, and parents who have travelled to Lilla with Braemar over the past decade will undoubtedly speak of its magic and beauty. It’s important that we do everything we can to protect these treasured communities.
Read more about the emergency response to COVID-19 by the Watarrka Foundation here.
Click here to donate to the GoFundMe page for the ‘Feed the Watarrka Community’ program.
Click here to support the Watarrka Foundation and their programs within the Northern Territory.
Find out more about the Watarrka Foundation on their website, by clicking here.
