Caring for Kiriwina sincerely thanks all our donors for its ongoing support, and we are pleased to provide a brief summary of what we have been up to over the last year.
July 2015
100 birthing kits delivered (using funds from June 2015 Arts and Crafts donation, Yarralumbla United Church)
August 2015
100 birthing kits delivered
September 2015
Two passengers on a P&O Cruise that included a stop at Kiriwina, Trevor and Julie, contacted Caring for Kiriwina through our website caringforkiriwina.org. They wanted to deliver educational materials to school children, and also delivered a quantity of birthing kits which we sent to them in Brisbane prior to boarding. They were greeted with genuine Kiriwinan hospitality by the Kavataria elementary school, and later told us that this experience was the absolute highlight of their entire cruise.
October 2015
100 birthing kits delivered
November 2015
50 birthing kits delivered
December 2015
Caring for Kiriwina has historically focussed on the two main villages close to the mission station at Oyabia, which are Kavataria, Mulosaida. However it now supports more villages, and in December sent 30 uniforms, warm jackets and sloppy joes to the Village Health Volunteers from the following villages:, Kwemtula, Osesuia, Oyuvayova, Tukwaukwa, Wabutuma, Luya, Bwetalu, Loubuwa, Siviyagila, Kudukweikela, Kepwapu, Kuluwa, Buduweilaka. We are aiming to provide another 70 midwives with uniforms. These volunteers were on the beach at Kaibola to welcome the P&O guests in March 2016 (see below). Also sent in December, in addition to 50 birthing kits, were 30 solar powered torches (which are charged by a hand) to help with night time deliveries, thank you JK Electrics pty ltd for your donation. However our goal is to supply all the 100 midwives on the island with a torch or light that is sustainable, and we are currently looking for alternatives.
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| Some of the Village Health Volunteers showing off their new uniforms. |
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March 2016
50 Birthing Kits delivered, assembled by Diana and Kylie Adams, from Narrabeen NSW
March 2016
Caring for Kiriwina was contacted by Lone Asmin Sumbulla P&O cruise passenger and now our Brisbane Caring for Kiriwina member, who liaised with a small group of P&O cruise passengers who wanted to participate by taking items to Kiriwina to donate to schools. Once on Kiriwina, passengers and crew (about 20!) were transported to the other side of the island to personally deliver 50 boxes of donations they had collected from various donors across Australia. Caring for Kiriwina hosted the P&O guests and the local schools performed traditional dances and songs to entertain their guests and thank them for their generous donations. The schools that benefited from the donations of books and pens were Losuia Primary School, Oyabia Elementary School, and Oulakai village school. Oulakai village school is for young children between 3 and 5 to prepare them for elementary school, and they learn about the names of stars, names of months, names of wind and other forms of learning in the Kiriwina language. These children learn ‘under the trees’ (Oulakai) and that is where the name of the school was derived. They do not have a proper classroom.
Caring for Kiriwina would like to thank all those passengers who donated to the wonderful Kiriwinans and sent these brilliant photos back.
Paula, Jennifer, Lynne, Ron, Gloria, Lorri, Christine, Claire, Jette & Niels, Doug & Jeannette, Terri, Mark & Sue, Jenni & Rob, Grahame & Lynne, Heather & Russell.
We would like to especially thank the wonderful Joanne from P&O and our fabulous new honorary recruit Lone, what a star!
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P&O Passengers being entertained by Kiriwina school students and the Caring for Kiriwina Team
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April 2016
200 birthing kits delivered, provided by Susan Thomas (WOW!). Susan is currently working on an additional 200 kits.
June 2016
The most recent and exciting development has been the registration of the Caring for Kiriwina as a non-profit charity in partnership with the Global Development Group (GDG). The GDG is an Australian DFAT approved Non-Government Organisation carrying out quality humanitarian projects with approved partners and providing aid to relieve poverty and provide long term solutions. Essentially this means Caring for Kiriwina Project has the support and assistance of the GDG to help pursue its aims, which is to:
to care for the people living on the Kiriwinan islands, in particular to focus on the health of pregnant women, women in childbirth, newborn infants and children.
In practical terms, this means donations to Caring for Kiriwina will now need to be made to the Global Development Group quoting the Caring for Kiriwina Project. Please visit the How to Donate page on this site. They are now tax deducible!
Future initiatives
Some specific future initiatives Caring for Kiriwina is currently working on include:
- training programs – As the midwives’ last training was in 1989, and the current midwives are aging, we are in the process of seeking Australian certified midwife’s volunteers to travel to Kiriwina to spend a few weeks training the current and new midwives. We will be raising funds to include return airfares, accommodation and food for approximately three weeks
- hearing aids – Jason Toposona is a Health volunteer working as the Health Extension Officer (HEO) in Kavataria Village. He is the closest thing to a doctor on the island, and has worked on a volunteer basis at the local health clinic. However poor hearing is impacting on his ability to continue in this role, and we are liaising with a specific donor to provide funds to fly Jason to Port Moresby for hearing tests, including funds for the hearing clinic and the purchasing of hearing aids.
