Almost 13% of Australia’s Indigenous population live in Western Australia, with a significant portion of this number living in rural and remote communities.
Indigenous Australian’s experience many socioeconomic barriers and cultural challenges; geographic remoteness is one of the biggest prohibitions to vital support and resources.
The Ngarluma and Yindjibarndi Foundation Limited (NYFL), founded in 1998 , is a Traditional Owner organisation comprised of representatives from the Ngarluma and Yindjibarndi nations delivering social, economic, and cultural empowerment for all Ngarda-ngarli (Aboriginal people) through numerous business enterprises.
Primarily committed to the delivery of services in Ieramagardu (Roebourne, WA) and surrounds, NYFL has collaborated with Sodexo for many years to jointly deliver outcomes in community.
In June 2023, this partnership was formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Through this agreement, Sodexo is committed to supporting NFYL’s local initiatives through training pathways, employment, corporate knowledge sharing, and sustainable business enterprise to help empower and overcome social and economic barriers.
The partnership between the two entities span a number of activities, predominately focussed around the introduction of nutritious and cost-effective food to community.
One hundred percent owned by First Nations community, the Ieramugadu Maya Store, Café, and Gallery is a social enterprise run by NYFL to deliver outcomes directly to Roebourne residents. To date, Sodexo’s partnership has delivered support direct to the Store and Café.
As an organisation, Sodexo recognises the importance and value Indigenous businesses bring to Australia. Long-term partnerships with these businesses are vital for enabling economic independence in regional communities where they operate.
Within the first 6 months of the MoU with NYFL, Sodexo’s contributions to the NYFL’s Ieramugadu Maya Store, Café, and Gallery have resulted in:
committed funding
$33,000
fresh sandwiches, pastries, muffins, and produce donated
70+ boxes
dedicated freight trips
48
OFFERED for Roebourne Elder’s 60-person Christmas celebratioN
Free catering
food donated
Half a tonne
yearly investment in Happy or Not terminals
$1,400
The NYFL partnership is an example of Sodexo’s deep-rooted commitment to reconciliation in Australia, built upon an innate culture of respect within the organisation.
Sodexo has been on a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) journey since 2011. Currently, the organisation is progressing its sixth Reconciliation Action Plan
Sodexo’s current Stretch RAP outlines a goal of $10 million of Indigenous spend annually. In 2023 alone, Sodexo achieved $34.6M in Indigenous business spend across 50 Indigenous-owned businesses under our commitment to supplier diversity.
Sodexo has long supported Indigenous employment and enterprise, prioritising long-term relationships with Indigenous businesses and vendors which create a ripple effect of economic outcomes for Aboriginal communities across Australia.
To achieve our RAP commitments, we are focused on direct recruitment, career pathways, partnerships, relationship building with Traditional Owners, community engagement and nurturing Indigenous business relationships.
The café gives our Elders a culturally safe space. It provides a career and training pathway for our young people. For our mob, having safe space is important for community, and community is everything.
The partnership between Sodexo and NYFL has been a long-standing one, characterised by support on the ground that goes over and above what we have come to expect from our partners.
Going beyond monetary support and donated goods, Sodexo has embedded themselves in our values of community-led purpose. It’s an important lesson for other corporates—that listening and being agile is important for the community. Sodexo heard what was important, and the next day they had a plan to help. That’s impressive.