The Malpa Project

Malpa was founded to address the vast inequality in health between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians. We do this by enabling communities to take charge of their own health and education outcomes creating transformative health change. Malpa’s Young Doctors Project is a unique, innovative, culturally derived, community centred approach to achieving strong health and well-being outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and contributes to reconciliation. Young Doctors is focused on improving primary health care and well-being within Aboriginal communities. Our approach is a culturally derived and driven, school-based, curriculum-aligned, health and well-being project for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students in years 3-4 and years 5-6. We use a framework of six key themes- Wellbeing: Individual, Family, Community - Leadership - Health Literacy - Nutrition - Hygiene - Environmental Health We work in schools in the ACT, NSW, NT, SA and VIC in communities that have high Aboriginal populations and have invited Malpa to work with them to enable healthier and more positive futures. Our understanding of primary schools and curriculum and our ability to build trusting and collaborative relationships means that we become part of the fabric of the schools. Malpa leaders have delivered over sessions. And over that time school attendance runs at up to 100%, according to leaders, with absentees being due to real illness or Sorry Business. Just as importantly, Young Doctor attendance continues across the week. One leader reports that kids who used to be a bit restless during school lunchtimes have now become real role models and leaders.