Purple House (Western Desert Nganampa Walytja Palyantjaku Tjutaku Aboriginal Corporation)

In the 1990’s Pintupi Luritja people from the Western Desert were concerned about family members being forced to move away from community to receive treatment for end stage renal failure. Leaving their homes and families to access dialysis treatment they experienced great hardship and people worried about the future of their communities without them there to provide leadership and pass on cultural knowledge. So they found a community led solution. Senior Western Desert artists created four collaborative paintings, and with the support of Papunya Tula Artists, Sothebys and local NT politicians, these were auctioned at the Art Gallery of NSW raising over $1 million dollars to set up Purple House. In 2003 we were incorporated as Western Desert Nganampa Walytja Palyantjaku Tjutaku Aboriginal Corporation. Our name means ‘Making all our families well’ and it recognises that people must be able to stay on country, to look after and be looked after by their families. We've since become affectionately know as the Purple House, and it stuck! Since the start of dialysis treatment in Kintore in 2004 we've grown to deliver dialysis and other services in communities across the NT and in remote WA and SA. We have an all Indigenous Board who are elected by our members and provide services including: -Permanent dialysis services in 20+ remote communities across the NT, WA and SA -A mobile dialysis service via The Purple Truck -A bush medicine social enterprise called Bush Balm -Social support, advocacy and well-being activities in Alice Springs and Darwin -Return to Country for key cultural and community events -Health promotion/education, primary health care and allied health services -Aged care and NDIS services in Alice Springs, Mt Liebig and Yuendumu