An Olympian, a Wiggle, a Scientist and a CEO put their best feet forward to combat heart disease in remote communities by walking 30km for Coastrek in Canberra today to raise awareness and funds for an innovative Remote Laundries project started by the Aboriginal Investment Group (AIG).

Heart Foundation CEO David Lloyd said: The initiative, in collaboration with the Nova Peris Foundation aims to address a critical health issue that disproportionately affects First Nations communities: rheumatic heart disease (RHD). What is RHD? RHD is a preventable condition stemming from poor living conditions and lack of access to basic facilities. It has been a longstanding challenge in remote areas of Australia and particularly in the NT. Under the team name Let’s End RHD, the ‘fab four’ today walked 30 kms around Lake Burley Griffin, hoping to raise funds that will support the Remote Laundries Project operated by (AIG) in the Northern Territory in partnership with the Nova Peris Foundation.

The Remote Laundries Project consists of four washers and four dryers engineered into a shipping container. The container is installed in a remote community and community members are employed to help collect, wash, disinfect and dry clothing and bed linen for community members to reduce the spread of scabies, a skin infection that can lead to acute rheumatic fever and ultimately rheumatic heart disease. The first Remote Laundry was established five years ago in the community of Barunga and since then has helped to reduce scabies infections by around 60 percent. The Project is in need of further funding to hasten its expansion so that every remote community that would like a Laundry can have one.

The Laundries save lives by reducing RHD-linked scabies infections. The Nova Peris Foundation is particularly keen to support a Laundry for the Yolngu people in the community of Yirrkala, in Arnhem Land, which has some of the highest rates of RHD.