'Empowering Aboriginal women through alleviating the barriers of accessing basic needs'

A Happy Box is a collection of toiletries and beauty products put together and sent to women in a remote community. The purpose of a happy box is to not only provide access to women who would otherwise go without, but to spread kindness and happiness. 

Women in our own backyard are going without basic toiletries. Accessibility to simple items like deodorant, shampoo and soap prove challenging when the closest store can be up to 1000km away. Some communities are at the end of 750km of harsh, red dirt roads. Others can be cut off by flood waters for months at a time. Some are only accessible via boat or plane. Some communities may be lucky enough to have a small store, but the prices of basic items are exuberant.

19% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are living in unacceptable living standards due to overcrowded housing and structural faults. The target released by the government in the recent Close the Gap Agreement is to ensure 88% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are living in housing of an acceptable standard by 2031. Whilst this would be an improvement, it still will not be on par with non-Indigenous people. Meanwhile there was no mention of the cost of living in remote communities nor any plan to further subsidise basic groceries so that people can afford to shop for their families in their community.'

The happy boxes team and myself believe this is unacceptable!

Matriarchs are the backbone of our communities, Mothers, Sisters, Aunties, Grandmothers; all trying to support their families in adverse circumstances, quite often pouring from an empty cup. If just one Happy Box can fill one person’s cup, then what we do is more than worthwhile.

The Happy Boxes Project aim to:

• Support the empowerment of women through alleviating the barriers of accessing basic needs,

• Provide opportunities for women to build capacity for individual and community development; and

• Provide opportunities for women to share story and create connection to nurture positive mental health.
  
  
  
  For more information or to directly donate and support this incrediable charity please visit www.happyboxesproject.com

Earth Jinda is a proud supporter and partner of the incredible non for profit charity The Happy Boxes Project and has been for the past 3 years.

If you would like to support via Earth Jinda and The Happy Boxes Project simply purchase one of our pay it forward prints to be donated directly to communities supported by the Happy boxes project, follow pay it forward link below.