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Check out our latest e-news, click on link below or scroll down.

http://createsend.com/t/d-4E03CCB77D3636EE2540EF23F30FEDED

December 2018

https://caringforkiriwina.org.au

e-NEWS and Merry Christmas to all!!

Caring for Kiriwina Village Birth Attendant Training in October 2018: Intrepid CFK midwives; Jacqui Andrews and Shea Caplice in action with Midwife Bokowau translating.

WHAT A WONDERFUL YEAR 2018 HAS BEEN FOR CFK…

It takes a lot of good hearted people to allow Caring for Kiriwina to achieve the great successes it has so far in it’s 6 years of existence. We would like to thank our wonderful CFK Team from Australia, intrepid Midwife Educators Shea Caplice and Jacqui Andrews; intrepid Deputy VBA Programme Head Vanessa Palfreeman; our in-country Head Toks Bwaina; our on-Island Head Lepani Ahab; our in-country training partners Ridley and Meisy Mwaisiga, Bokawau and Leness; our head VBA’s on the Island Ruth Boaz and Dulcie (and husband Nelson) Toposana and our hundreds of CFK members on Island.

With their help and the support of all our of our wonderful sponsors and donors we have managed to:

  • complete a successful Village Birth Attendants (VBA’s) training program this year which included 210 participants, all done in partnership with the Losuia Health Centre.
  • supply over 3,500 birthing kits Island wide.
  • review and adjust the contents of our birthing kits to include muslin wraps and washable menstrual pads.
  • supply over 100 torches and lanterns (some currently awaiting clearance in Moresby) to the VBA’s as well as thongs, uniforms and jumpers.
  • start to organise our next training trip scheduled for June 2019
  • investigate options for additional training of birth attendants as a result of the successful Friendship Grant application.

As a side note, we have been recently informed that there are currently no medicines at the Losuia Health Centre.  As the only medical facility on the Island of 55,000 people, this highlights the lack of basic essential services available to some of our closest neighbours who feel very remote and neglected.  On a brighter note, some power has been reinstated which has resulted in some SMS communication possible between us and the Island.Learn more

At Losuia Health Centre Office in October pictured from left: Health Officer Ridley Mwaisiga, CFK Midwife Jacqui Andrews, Front: Midwife Bokawa, behind Raymond. CFK Midwife Shea Caplice, Losuia Health Centre Nurse Meisy Mwaisiga and Jodi Lawton.

We are so thrilled that Caring for Kiriwina has been successful in our recent application to DFAT for an Australian Aid Friendship Grant! 

The core basis for the awarding of this grant is to train village birth attendants to safely deliver babies in remote areas of Papua New Guinea.  For more information go to this link. https://foreignminister.gov.au/releases/Pages/2018/mp_mr_181130.aspx

See screen grab below from the DFAT Friendship Grants announcement and CFK is first in line.

Thank you so much to the Australian Government! We will not let you down.

The Village Birth Attendant Training Project is supported by the Australian Government and implemented by Caring for Kiriwina.

Caring For Kiriwina
info@caringforkiriwina.org.au
Please help the women & children of Kiriwina

Thanks again to all our donors for your ongoing support!
CLICK HERE TO DONATE

You too could own one of these limited edition CD case desk calendars, simply click on the link below and head to our shop. For only $35 we can Australia Post a copy to you asap. All proceeds go towards our Caring for Kiriwina vital projects.

The calendar case size is a very functional 95mm square, it does not take up too much space on your desk. You don’t have to keep opening relevant screens on your computer and devices, all the information is always in view. Sometimes old school works best!

Our In-Country Manager will be flying over from Alotau to Kiriwina towards the end of December with boxes and boxes of essential items. The x 74 headlamps were mailed yesterday and x 50 Birthing Kits including underpants and additional fabric/ reusable/washable menstrual pads have been sent to replace the disposable pads normally used. Rubbish is a massive problem on Kiriwina and hopefully this will help reduce the amount of rubbish on the Island.

Box of head lamps
Birthing Kits, underpants and reusable Menstrual pads

ANU Emeritus Professor Andrew Pawley BA (NZ), MA, PhD (University of Auckland), FRSNZ, FAHAEmeritus Professor, School of Culture, History & LanguageANU College of Asia and the Pacific) and the Rev. Dr. Ralph Lawton editing the latest draft of the Dictionary. Thank you so much Professor Andrew Pawley and colleagues for continuing to support the final publication of this epic project.

https://researchers.anu.edu.au/researchers/pawley-ak

Since Caring for Kiriwina’s inception in July 2012, Yarralumla Uniting Church has supported our vital work to allow us to continue Margaret and the Reverand Dr Ralph Lawton’s legacy of love and support for the Kiriwinan people. Yarralumla Church parishioners also continue to support the family to allow the blind Ralph Lawton to live at home at 90 years of age. Thank you so much from the bottom of the our hearts.