The Region
Wadeye is a remote Aboriginal community located 450km south-west of Darwin in the Northern Territory. It was set up as a Catholic Mission in the 1930’s, bringing more than 20 tribal groups together. Unfortunately less than half of 900 local children attend school regularly. Like many remote Aboriginal communities, Wadeye has a number of social issues, with gang violence being the dominant issue in the past couple of years. With only 130 jobs outside of CDEP (Community Development Employment Projects), 82% of income is sourced from welfare payments. A high occupancy rate (at around 16 people per home) also causes stress and strain amongst the people of the community.

The Project
Roger and Vivienne Latham, along with their daughter Sarah, have been working in Wadeye Aboriginal Community since the beginning of 2007. Roger has been associated with Wadeye for 6 years and works as a music teacher at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart School, while Vivienne works at the Medical Centre. While this is their main occupation, the Latham’s provide extensive support to the community.

The Need
With such a high level of youth unemployment and student absenteeism, there is a great need to provide youth programs and events that will assist and inspire youth to reach their full potential.
With no public transport, the local community members find it difficult to get around. The need may be as simple as transporting groceries to home or in extreme cases, transporting ill or injured people to a place where they can receive assistance. As Wadeye is so remote, a four wheel drive is the only means possible to reach people who may require assistance.
Because of this, Roger and Vivienne are seeking to buy a Toyota Troop Carrier to assist them in the work they do.