Gunawirra means:

“the invisible seed of all creation”

Gunawirra’s focus is:

Prevention through Early Intervention

For Aboriginal children from the ages of 0 to 5 years old

For their families

For their community

For their carers.

Their right        their health          our future

Gunawirra is a not-for-profit, member-based organisation made up of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal professionals and specialists working side by side.

Gunawirra offers projects and programs that encourage young Aboriginal mothers and fathers to avoid the dangers of alcohol, substance abuse, domestic  violence and sexual abuse.

• In targeted areas of Sydney inner and outer suburbs Gunawirra provides highly specialised programs that have the immediate purposes of prevention and early intervention for the protection of the infant, child and family unit.
• Gunawirra creates projects, programs, booklets across 30 NSW preschools. It provides training, consultation and emotional support to Aboriginal and non aboriginal preschool teachers and workers in Aboriginal community Areas.

“A growing body of research links childhood experiences of abuse and neglect with serious life-long problems including depression, suicide, alcoholism and drug abuse, and major medical problems such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Two basic processes, neurodevelopment and psychosocial development, are affected by early abuse and neglect. Scientists have begun to understand the mechanisms through which these adverse experiences alter child development and produce pernicious mental, medical, and social outcomes. These insights have opened opportunities to intervene to prevent maltreatment and to mitigate its effects. Future success depends on the greater dissemination and refinement of these interventions.”

(Putman 2006)