Ally in Evaluation - Driving impact without being at the centre

The Kimberley Aboriginal Women’s Council (KAWC) supports Aboriginal women across Kununurra, Wyndham, Halls Creek, Fitzroy Crossing, Derby and Broome, as well as surrounding Aboriginal communities in Western Australia. The region is Country to more than 32 Aboriginal language groups. Every family, town and Community is unique, with place-based solutions needed for place-based issues.

Formed in 2018 by a group of Kimberley and Pilbara women following the North-West Aboriginal Women’s Leadership Conference, the KAWC continues to grow with Community engagement, representation and membership. The once volunteer organisation has fully funded positions to grow the strategy and support local women.

“Women are the backbone of the family, they are the ones holding the family together, they are the primary care givers of our children and grandchildren.”
“We help empower Aboriginal women to be the best versions of themselves and give them a voice to address and problem solve the issues that are facing their local communities.” KAWC Board Member Jody Bell.

KAWC empowers women at a family level unit, providing tools to be leaders in their family, extended family and then ripple out to the Community.
The aim is to create systems reform for healthier and stronger families and Communities, with Kimberly women co-designing and leading culturally safe services for mob to access and work in. To track progress, KAWC is embedding Indigenous Data Governance and Sovereignty across their work. They’re ensuring the collection of the right data in the right way and keeping Community informed at every step.

Measuring Impact

Jo Camilleri is Manager of Impact Programmes and Partnerships at Kimberley Aboriginal Women’s Council and has been working in this space most of her career. Jo recently attended Kowa’s Two World’s Understanding, Measurement, Evaluation, Learning (UMEL) in Toronto, NSW.

“I was able to look at our goals and immediately apply those learnings. I went straight back to the Kimberley and was facilitating strategic days with our board. I used some of the templates from the workshop and it resonated with them.”
“The river design is a particularly powerful and accessible piece that translates easily to our work, strategies and goals.”
“Then I was at a conference speaking to Allied Health Practitioners, mainly non-Aboriginal cohort from across the Kimberley. The topic was about allyship, so I again used the Two Worlds UMEL river art piece to unpack their work.”

2WUMEL for Allies

Kowa works with funders and non-Indigenous allies to build agency for First Nations communities and help decolonise western evaluation. Kowa shows that by adopting a culturally informed and Community-driven approach you can help drive meaningful change and support self-determination.

Jo says you can be a good Ally, empower Community and help drive impact without being at the centre.