The project provided critical resources to residents of Kangaroo Island to support recovery in the wake of Australia’s 2019-2020 bushfires.
Project implemented: January 2020
To avoid the entrenched disadvantage that a natural disaster can cause in a vulnerable community.
The community resilience, and partnerships, shown in this case highlight a model that may assist future natural disaster recovery efforts.
Junction worked with the Kangaroo Island community to identify needs and facilitate partnerships to deliver.
The locals needed support straight away, so handing out fuel and gift cards within the first few weeks was a top priority.
The bushfire season of 2020 was the most catastrophic recorded in the history of Kangaroo Island, South Australia. In early January, a third of the Island was on fire. Houses and farmlands were destroyed; many people faced homelessness and were grieving the loss of loved ones and their livelihood. Junction responded by co-ordinating donations, volunteers, emergency accommodation, and childcare services for over 110 people. Junction facilitated the broader community’s desire to help, identifying critical resources that were required, and initiating partnerships to deliver. Fuel cards emerged as a need, as “a result of the distances people have to travel across the Island, many families are under pressure for fuel,” CEO, Maria Palumbo explains. Two fuel retailers on the Island (OTR and Caltex) stepped in to provide and encourage donations. Within a week, over $15,000 in fuel cards were donated and placed in the hands of locals – providing the tangible assistance required. “We are heartbroken, but we will get through this” – Junction KI Co-ordinator, Maree Baldwin shares.