Article: A New Culturally Rich App for Aṉangu Mothers

A New Culturally Rich App for Aṉangu Mothers

A collaboration between our Child Nutrition team and Anangu women has created new app to help new mothers navigate babies first foods and nutrition.

The Tjitjiku Mai (children’s food) app features a food database including bush food and food found in community stores. The app also has an interactive recipes library with step-by-step videos, meditations and children’s songs all presented in Pitjantjatjara, Ngaanyatjarra and English.

The app offers accessible, culturally relevant health resources and a step toward improving health outcomes for Aboriginal families living in the NPY lands.

The app has been designed and developed, through consultation with community members and families to specifically meet the needs of Anangu & Yarnangu families living in the remote NPY region of Australia so they can access relevant health information & resources around infant nutrition and introduction of solids for young children.

The Tjitjiku Mai app features aunties, mothers, sisters and grandmothers offering advice and supporting new mothers in what is often a daunting and stressful time for families navigating growing up young children

Download the app

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Child & Family Wellbeing

We Stand Against Proposed Changes to NT Child Protection Laws

Family must always come first, family need to be spoken to first and it should always be up to the family to decide.

Margaret Smith, NPY Women’s Council Chairperson

NPY Women’s Council (NPYWC) oppose the proposed plan by the NT Government to change the ‘Care and Protection of Children Act 2007’. We call out the Finocchiaro Government on their intention to make such significant change without consulting Aboriginal Leaders, affected communities and Aboriginal Community Controlled organisations.

The Northern Territory government is planning to amend child protection legislation to give courts and the Department of Children and Families powers to override national guidelines under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle.

Current laws provide protections for Aboriginal children in care, including placing them with family or kin and close to country, however a “special and exceptional circumstance” provision would be added under draft legislation.

NPYWC are concerned that the proposed changes will result in more Anangu children being removed from families, culture and communities which are integral to their wellbeing and safety.

” the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Principle must be implemented in full with no changes when it comes to child protection involvement with Anangu children.”

NPYWC Chair Margaret Smith

NPYWC calls on the NT Government to have a greater investment into community led solutions that support Anangu children to remain with their families, communities and connected to country, language and culture.

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Child & Family Wellbeing

Reshaping the Narrative on Aboriginal Youth

Children and young people in Imanpa have transformed their stories of strength and culture into powerful superhero characters

The Anangu Superhero Project was designed to give young people an opportunity to shape the narrative surrounding Indigenous youth and showcase their ‘powers’ of wisdom, strength, safety, courage, love and culture. The project encouraged young people to reflect on their own heroes at home and in community, and see themselves as powerful in a positive way. The project amplified young people’s voices, reinforcing their sense of belonging and influence in the world.

Here are a few of the amazing superheroes created:

Wati Mai (food man) – Jimarcus

Brings starving people bush food when they are hungry. Feeds homeless people, gives them magic water, malu, bush banana, yam, tinka & ngintaka.

Kungka Wanka (spider girl) – Nikea

Helps kids stay safe. Comes out at night. Throws webs.. Scares kids to go home and makes them go to sleep ready for school.

Wati Tjina

Wati Tjina helps people who are lost and help them find their way home. He knows all the tjina (footprints) of every person and animal in central Australia.

The project included a range of deep explorations with the young people including the project being embedded into the local school’s (Nyangatjatjara College) curriculum, character development, reading about superheroes and connecting concepts to everyday life. The heroes were painted onto the Imanpa youth shed as a mural, during a weeklong program, with activities highlighting youth leadership, food for strength, mindfulness and creativity. The characters have also been transformed into an animation (above).

The project was devised and led by NPYWC’s Anangu staff and community leaders in conjunction the NPYWC Child & Family Wellbeing Service, and was supported by the Imanpa School.

The ultimate power of the superheroes is the voice of the children who created them. This project shows the healing and connection that can be built within communities when Anangu voices are centered and heard.

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NPY Women's Council is grounded in, and continues to live and work on, the sovereign Lands of the Arrernte people, and the Aṉangu and Yarnangu people - the rightful custodians of the Ngaanyatjarra, Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara Lands.

A New Culturally Rich App for Aṉangu Mothers

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Children and young people in Imanpa have transformed their stories of strength and culture into powerful superhero characters