CFK will collect the knitwear from these lovely Belrose Country Club ladies. ready to take to Kiriwina in 5 sleeps. The lady on the far right is Norma who does most of the knitwear and she turns 101 in July this year! What an amazing effort.
Our SwizKnitters, from St Swithuns Church at Pymble are also very enthusiastic knitters for Kiriwina and Michelle Vale has again sewn some beautiful baby clothes and dresses for the new Mums.
Three boxes should be arriving in Port Moresby any day now.
This delivery contains two boxes of the fabulous knitting/hand sewn gorgeous little girls dresses donated by the beautiful Belrose Knitters and Lovely Ladies from St. Ives. Also included in this delivery: Panadol for the health care workers and pencils/and readers (Pictured) for the schools.
Thank you again to all our wonderful sponsors and donors for making this all possible.
The Belrose knitters keep themselves very busy knitting for Kiriwina and are so happy to bring smiles to the faces of the little Kiriwinan kids. Our other lovely ladies from St Ives sewed beautiful little dresses and are overjoyed to know they are so appreciated.
Thank you so much Norma (sitting in front) and the rest of the beautiful Belrose Knitters and the lovely ladies from St. Ives.
The mothers and babies on Kiriwina are really looking forward to receiving them 🙌.
Our next consignment of donated goods for Kiriwina is on its way. Thank you so much to our Irish supporters and Mary’s Mother’s constant supply of baby beanies :).
Other than the beanies, this delivery consists of VBA head torches, paracetamol tablets and pens and pencils for the schools.
Thank you to all our wonderful donors and supporters who have enabled this charity to continue for 10/65 years and beyond!!!
VBAs from all over the Island came to report to our in-country manager during his reporting visit in April, receiving delivery of birthing kits, lanterns, torches, PPE, baby clothing, batteries and soap.
Due to lack of delivery of basic health services to Kiriwina by the PNG National and Milne Bay Provincial Governments, the health services on Kiriwina have badly deteriorated.
The Village Birth Attendants (VBAs) are in desperate need of many items and equipment to help them in assisting with deliveries of pregnant women in isolated communities. The VBAs receive no form of support from the Government, their only support is through donations from CFK.
There are currently 275 VBAs on Kiriwina. Due to the increase in the rate of births due in April, May and June 2021, the VBAs have requested more birthing kits, birth record books, soap, face masks, hand sanitizers, hand gloves, torches, batteries, baby scales and other items to support their pregnant women deliver in their respective circuits.
We regularly send packages to the VBAs, and with your financial help this can continue. Please consider a regular donation, as this allows us to plan for the future and manage resources.
VBAs receive delivery of 50 lanterns and batteries for torches plus hundreds of birthing kits, baby knits and PPE.Regular Subscription Payment Donations
The Losuia Health Centre is currently in crisis with a lack of basic medicines, drugs and family control methods.
Losuia Health Centre nurses Linnesse and Raymond recently received delivery of hundreds of PPE, face masks, hand sanitizers, birthing kits and baby knitting clothes as well as COVID 19 Awareness Posters from CFK. Sister Linnese reported that the number of pregnancies for the first quarter (Jan – Mar) of 2021, doubled as compared with the last quarter of (Oct-Dec) of 2020. One reason for the increase is that the Losuia Health Centre has run out of family planning methods such as contraceptives and condoms.
Losuia Health Centre nurses Raymond and Linnesse receiving CFK donations.
Our In-country manager noted many pregnant mothers returning from the clinic at Losuia Health Centre.
Pregnant mothers waiting for their names to be called at the clinic at Losuia Health Centre.
Kiriwina Secondary School
The students are in a 4 week isolation lock down as directed by the PNG Government to control the spread of COVID 19, resulting in the closure of all Primary and Secondary Schools in PNG. The female re-usable menstrual pads and pens will be delivered in mid-May once the schools are reopened.
What a great Humanitarian
With CFK’s support Janson Toposona runs a small dispensary clinic in Kavataria Village. He is a Medical Officer by profession and former lecturer with Divine Word University based in Madang. He retired from his formal employment, returned home and volunteered to run the small dispensary clinic. The clinic is very helpful to the community. Janson provides free medical services and treats minor cases and with major cases referred to Losuia Health Centre for further treatment.
Jason in his hut which acts as a small medical clinic.
Water pumps
The Communities where the water pumps were installed reported that their pumps are in good condition and we have had further requests for water pumps to be installed in other respective communities and villages.
Food security program
The harvest season is getting nearer. The CFK sponsored gardens have been inspected and yams and other food crops are ready to be harvested in May, June and July this year. The long yams were ready and being harvested and they are being hung in the yam houses for long term storage. There are a total of 103 long yams, ranging from 0.8m to 1.5m! The other type of yams will be harvested in May when the food security yam harvest program is officially opened.
7.3.1928 – 21.4.2021
Rev. Dr. Ralph Lawton was regarded as a Kiriwinan (Trobriand Islander). He called Kiriwina “home” and spoke the Kiriwinan language fluently. He lived the life of the people of Kiriwina, ate the food, drank the water, felt the pains, struggles and the hardships daily. Ralph respected the cultural norms of Kiriwina.
In keeping with the Kiriwinan’s sense of humor Ralph was known as a chief and given the Kiriwinan name “Iyupalilaguyau Lotoni” which means “He who thinks he is Chief Lawton‘.
In Ralph’s honour the Oyabia Mission Station will now been renamed “Oyabia Iyupalilaguyau Lotoni”. Dual country memorial services were held simultaneously on Tuesday 27th April at 11am, with a huge socially distanced crowd of Kiriwinan’s in attendance coming from all over the Island. Tributes were given by representatives of the Kiriwina Bible Translation Committee, VBA’s, Catholic Church and United Church. During that ceremony the New Church Building at Mulosaida Village was also dedicated in honour of Ralph and officially named the “Rev. Dr. Ralph Lawton Memorial Church”. The church will be officially opened and dedicated in July 2021. Thank you Kiriwina.
CFK VBA delivered babies with their mothers dressed in the knitting supplied by Belrose County Club Knitters. Thank you to all our wonderful sponsors and donors.
Photos of our fabulous Postie Andy and team, including Dugie, sending the boxes and boxes of birthing kits, baby knits from our gorgeous Belrose knitters, Michelle’s handmade dresses for the girls, pens, and pencils for the schools, backpacks for VBA’s, and school children, panadol for the Losuia Health Centre and Kavataria volunteer clinic.
We have also purchased another 30 lanterns, 10 boxes of batteries, 5 boxes of gloves, 10 boxes of face masks. Our In-country manager will travel over around the 14th of May to deliver female dignity kits to Kiriwina High Secondary School and meet with the school management to confirm the balance of 2021 school fees for 19 students.
Toks is also traveling to Kiriwina to officially open the harvest season as the host of the CFK Food Security Program to commence the harvesting of the yams that will be carried and stored into the yam houses to conclude the program.
Thank you, thank you all our wonderful donors and volunteers for making this all possible!!!.
Caring For Kiriwina Projects Progress well despite COVID November 2020 issue below:
November 2020
e-NEWS CFK progress despite COVID
Happy Kiriwinan Mothers with their VBA delivered babies in their donated knitted clothing.
Our Caring for Kiriwina in-country manager Toks recently reported back on the continued success of our 8 projects implemented across the Island despite COVID restrictions. Here is an update on several of the projects below. A special thanks to our sponsors, donors and volunteers for their continued support to enable us to make this all happen.
Toks with Fellows Circuit VBA’s and presented the birthing kits and soap to them. They distributed the birthing kits as follows: Luba 2 circuit, Kilivila 1 circuit, Fellows – circuit.
In the next delivery, will extend to the other circuit VBA’s.
Pencils donated to Losuia Elementary School.
Pens were distributed to the Grade 10 students in time for their Final National Examination from 19-23 October 2020 and Grade 8 Final National Examination from 2-4 November 2020. What a great help!!!
The rest of the pens and pencils were distributed to the following schools: Kiriwina Secondary School, Oyabia Primary School, Wapipi Primary School, Kavataria Elementary School, Mulosaida/Oyabia Elementary School, Oyabia Primary school, Losuia Primary School, Launakalana Primary School.
Pencils donated to Losuia Primary School.
Pencils donated to Mulosaida and Oyabia Elementary schools.
Pencils donated to Kavataria Elementary School.
The happy faces of our Kiriwina Secondary School Fee recipients after receiving their official Awards.
Photo of 14 out of 20 Kiriwina Secondary School recipients of CFK scholarship School Fee program with the Deputy Headmaster, Mr Esau Topirim.
Toks met Will Koega for an update on the water pumps in the following locations: Kavataria village water pump, Kiriwina Secondary School female water pump, Kiriwina Secondary School male water pump, Kenobasi water pump, Kuluwa water pump.
Mr Koega confirmed that all five pumps are in good condition working perfectly well. The 18 water buckets brought from Port Moresby were the correct sizes, which is a relief for CFK and the communities as the pumps will now be maintained with new water buckets to keep them operating to serve the communities with clean drinking water.
The details of a new larger water pump (that has been advertised to work for 20 years) that CFK has purchased and will be installing as a trial were presented to our CFK plumber for him to familiarise himself with the new pumps parts and functions.
Delivery of water buckets for the pumps. The water buckets were the right sizes for the pumps so it is a relief for CFK and the communities to have the water pumps in good condition and operating.
Kavataria water pump in action.
Kiriwina Secondary School Girls Pump in action. Boys pump to right.
Both girls and boys pumps are in good condition and providing clean drinking water, washing and laundry to the students.
Approximately 200 people gathered to listen to Toks discussing the food security program project and encourage the people to toil the ground and work on their gardens to sustain their everyday living. Due to COVID-19 effects, Toks encouraged people to work on their land to promote agriculture as a priority for their survival. An elder also encouraging the men, women and youths to concentrate on their gardens in order to expect a good harvest.
Photos of our CFK Food security gardens which were managed well and kept to a standard to expect a good harvest in June 2021.
The food security program will be celebrated in June 2021.
