3. Appraisal of the Tiwi Downlands Project

The Budget If five children come from the Tiwi Islands to Downlands in 2007, the travel costs will be close to $10,000. that is $70 Nguiu to Darwin and $174 Darwin to Brisbane - multiplied by five children. We are hoping to get a hundred donors to give $100 each pa to meet this cost.

Unfortunately AbStudy will not pay fares for NT aborigines to be educated beyond the Territory and schools in the Territory do not provide the opportunity for education alongside white Australians.

At present we have twelve donors promising to provide $100 a year to help this project, donations of $1000 and $500. But the total is $300 and we need to get to $10,000 to meet the 2007 budgeted travel costs. Give us a hand pleease ? Perhaps you could even relay this site on to willing friends?

Our unrecovered Costs are now $2,859 and the credit card is groaning.

The Tiwi Community describe the girls as gaining self confidence and direction from their time at Downlands. The father Noel, believes these girls have provided leadership to other Tiwi children and suggests that the long term benefit will be an increase in hope in opportunity.
The family hopes that there will be three girls and two boys at Downlands for 2007.
They believe the benefits from Downlands for the Tiwi will be very evident during 2007.

The Downlands Special Education unit say the Tiwi work effort has been exemplary. The Tiwi kids are held back by health issues, hearing is poor, diabetes is a threat and the general health status is poor.
"Therese and Josetta commenced at Downlands as residential students early in Term 3, 2006. It was ascertained by the staff of the Learning Support Unit that Therese’s speech indicated that she had a hearing loss. Whilst Josetta’s speech was clear her phonemic awareness (that is the sounds she needs to recall to read accurately) was poor. Both students are particularly adept with mathematical concepts excluding time.
During the time that Therese and Josetta have been part of the community a profile of their health status has been commenced. Both students have a hearing loss that will impact on their learning in a classroom; appropriate strategies have been identified so that they can participate more effectively in classroom learning. Therese will require surgery on her ears and this has been arranged for early 2007. Josetta is responding to the strategies.
Both Therese and Josetta have participated in individual literacy and numeracy programs in the Learning Support Unit. Their identification of sight words (words that a reader must be able to recognise quickly in order to read competently) has increased significantly as has their ability to articulate requests and ideas. Josetta started with a reading ability at approximately Grade 1 level and is now reading at least a Grade level higher. Therese’s reading competency is about 5 years below her chronological age but this should change considerably after surgery in 2007. "
Downlands Special Unit Director

The Boarding House at Downlands recognize the difficulties for Bush aborigines to live with relatively sophisticated kids, but still they say the Tiwi contribution has been positive.

"As Houseparent to these girls in the last few months, I would like to pass on the following comments. The girls are very friendly, sociable and with a deep sense of pride in their culture and a desire to share that with anyone who is happy to spend time with them. They have made many friends not only in the boarding community, but also in the day school as well. All the girls enjoy a joke, laugh a lot and have a great sense of fun about them, When given instruction, the girls never question, are always respectful and obliging and quick to do what is asked of them. I have been shopping with the girls many times and they have a love of babies and small children and always smile and wave it little ones look into their direction. The girls continue this in the dorm, as they love to interact with the younger girls. In times of business or trouble in the dorms, the girls, just know to do the right then and often the first to lend a hand. I am very impressed by the integrity of these girls and their warm, caring and affectionate nature and genuinely hope they all return to Downlands next year, as we can all learn much about the true meaning of community spirit from these beautiful girls, I miss them already and they have only been gone a day"
Downlands houseparent.

If you would like to help fund this project, go to https://www.vinnies.org.au/show_appeal.cfm?table=appeals&parentid=0&id=43

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