Fostering Aboriginal entrepreneurship

ELP is excited to share with you some recent developments from our work with Yarralin community, a small remote Aboriginal settlement 382km south west of Katherine in the Northern Territory, Australia. 

Ngarinyman Bush Soap

The Ngarinyman Bush Soap enterprise welcomes some new soap makers to the team! Jill, Caitlin, Danisha and Subdin were recently inducted by master soap maker and ELP facilitator Sharratine.

They will join others involved in the business in learning how to manage it sustainably: practically, this includes setting production goals, liaising with retailers, managing stock levels, ordering materials and undertaking marketing and promotion activities. You can keep up to date with their journey on facebook at: 

https://www.facebook.com/ngarinymanbushsoap

The business is gearing up for the start of the dry season, when large numbers of tourists flock to the area. The soaps are sold by retailers throughout the region and also locally within the Yarralin store. They are sought after for their healing properties, soothing skin irritations and dry skin. One community member said "I love buying the soaps for my daughter, the medicine in them heals my one year old daughter when she's not feeling well".

 2016 calendar planning underway

After the success of the 2012 Yarralin calendar, Ngurlngann Dreaming, the community are enthusiastic about producing another calender for 2016. 

The 2012 featured photos and stories of local Yarralin residents and places, and communicated to the world the beauty and uniqueness of the community, and why it was such a special place to live. The calendar sold over 400 copies and generated income of over $8000, to be used for further enterprise development activities. It was an exciting learning experience for those involved, and they are looking forward to using the skills and knowledge they developed this time around. The community will welcome back professional photographer Rhett Hammerton who will work closely with the production team to produce the photos during ELP’s next visit to Yarralin in April. 

One on one business consultations

ELP assisted Margaret with her business planning for the year ahead. Margaret makes a number of products including woven baskets, paintings and hand carved and painted birds. Margaret has set production and sales targets and is exploring the possibility of hosting workshops in the region. She is also deepening her understanding of the financial management side of operating a business, including tax obligations and record keeping. Margaret is an inspiration and a wonderful role model for others who are just starting out in business. 

Colin shared his business aspirations with ELP and asked for assistance with information relating to establishing himself as a sole trader. He is also very passionate about working with other community members to establish a social enterprise that will create employment opportunities for his community of Pigeon Hole (about a 2 hour drive from Yarralin). 

We'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support for this important work. The business mentoring and support ELP provides is deeply valued by those in the communities we work with. Without this, they would not be able to progress their ideas and aspirations and create sustainable livelihoods for themselves and their families. 

Until next time,

Laura Egan

Founder/Director

Enterprise Learning Projects