First Nations Support

School uniform shirt

Families in remote town, mostly First Nations, struggle to provide school uniforms for their children.

Our school is a District High School (Years K -12) serving a mostly First Nations population including a number of families from Fitzroy Crossing who have been stranded in Derby following the Kimberley floods of 2023. Most people manage to make ends meet and support their families, but others are impacted by domestic violence, homelessness, unemployment, and economic hardship. They struggle to supply the basic needs and are often unable to provide school uniforms for their children. Even when they manage to purchase uniform shirts at the beginning of the year it's a real hardship to replace them when the child grows out of them, or the shirt is worn out.
The uniform shirt is very important here. It identifies them with the school, with Derby, and with their place in the community. When the children have no uniform or are forced to wear an ill-fitting one, they feel shame. They may even refuse to attend school, or share one shirt between siblings.