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Partnership provides vital service to Maningrida community

30 January 2020

Orange Sky Australia have partnered with Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service, Mala'la, to support the provision of free laundry facilities for the Maningrida community. 
This important service will commence in the community at end of January 2020.
Orange Sky's mission is to positively connect communities through free mobile laundry and shower services for people. 
They are very excited about the opportunity to collaborate with the people of Maningrida and learn from community leaders to create long lasting and sustainable impact. 
Over the last five years, Orange Sky Australia have washed over 1.3 million kilograms of laundry, provided more than 13,000 showers and, most importantly, have been part of 233,000 hours of genuine and non-judgemental conversation.
The Maningrida vehicle is fitted with three 15kg washing machines plumbed into hot water and three 10kg dryers. 
Shifts will be set up at locations around Maningrida at the same time and place each week for residents to wash and dry clothing and bedding. 
Community members will be trained to operate shifts alongside some of Mala’la's established programs. 
Orange Sky has a key focus on innovation and this opens up opportunities to support a diverse range of communities all over Australia and, now, New Zealand They have 31 vans across Australia and New Zealand and, through innovation, have built new solutions to support the remote communities of Lockhart River and Palm Island.
This positive action comes about following the study by Menzies School of Health Research which revealed children in Maningrida and its homelands suffer some of the highest known rates of rheumatic heart disease in the world.