A key staff member of Marra Worra Worra, a major Kimberley Aboriginal resource centre, has been honoured with a significant Western Australian award for his ongoing work.
Marcel Sithole, manager of MWW's Karrayili and Financial Counselling Services, told National Indigenous Times he felt honoured to be recognised by the Financial Counsellors Association of Western Australia (FCAWA) with an award presented by WA's finance and commerce minister Sue Ellery.
"Living in and serving the Fitzroy Vally community has been something that has brought me honour and joy, especially seeing good outcomes," he said.
"The possibilities of what we can achieve by working together are endless. Receiving this award drives me to continue to advocate for sustainable solutions for the systemic issues faced especially in remote areas."
Mr Sithole has been working for Marra Worra Worra for five years – the past two of which as a financial counsellor.
"I have last month been appointed by MWW senior management into the role of Manager – Karrayili and Financial Counselling Services," he said.
"Prior to this and due to limited funding sector wide, I have been the only Financial Counsellor serving the more than 40 communities of the Fitzroy Valley.
"Through advocacy, it is great to see the traction of the efforts we have made to highlight the need for support for this essential service."
Earlier this year, Mr Sithole surveyed 237 people in the Fitzroy Valley about gambling harm reduction.
"We conducted this research to highlight the need for better systemic support from the government around issues faced," he said.
Mr Sithole also started a community education podcast to discuss money issues in the Valley, which saw collaboration from Legal Aid and Kimberley Community Legal Service, talking about practical solutions to the issues he sees with his clients.
"We have now released 11 episodes, airing on the local radio and now live on legal aid website," he said.
In November, Mr Sithole hosted an ASIC Industry Workshop for systemic support around Super with case studies.
He also facilitated the Kimberley Birds Wealth for Purpose Program –assisting 40 women in the Kimberley across voluntary virtual appointments.
In July, Mr Sithole arranged for ECU Tax clinic to visit and assist community members Fitzroy Crossing with their government funded pro-bono tax services.
"I have engaged and continue working with Commonwealth Bank who visited Fitzroy Crossing through collaboration with Marra Worra Worra and are visiting quarterly to assist remote customers through our partnership. This is vital especially given the town is devoid of Bank branches," he told National Indigenous Times.
Mr Sithole also assisted and hosted the University of WA in collaboration with FCAWA to conduct research into a new disaster response framework.
"As part of our service, we also continue to conduct regular outreach visits to support the communities of the Fitzroy Valley," he said.
"As such in my new role, I look to continue to work towards sustainable development for both Karrayili and our financial services to better serve the remote catchment area."
