News

One more sleep and we are off! Just a reminder that the months of planning and volunteered time, effort and money will all be worth it!

Remember our fundraiser is starting at 2.30pm tomorrow until 5pm.

Sydney Secondary College,
Blackwattle Bay Campus
(Taylor Street entrance, near corner of Bridge Road)

We are all very excited and looking forward to seeing you there!!!

Another x 50 birthing kits are on their way to Kiriwina. Thank you to all our wonderful supporters and donors and to Diana and Kylie Adams for their expert collating and packaging skills.

Thank you also to our friendly local Post Office staff.

Safe journey!

Thank you journalist Ali Lowe and photographer Phillip Rogers for your wonderful Manly Daily article supporting our training program.

Mother-of-two Jodi Lawton, along with Balgowlah midwife Shea Caplice and three others, will head to the small island in a bid to educate villagers about basic and emergency skills needed in childbirth.

In rural Papua New Guinea the mortality rate in childbirth is one in seven, with a maternal mortality rate of three in 1,000 live births.

Mrs Lawton’s Caring for Kiriwina project will bring together 100 women who assist in local births — essentially as untrained midwives — and inform them using fake pelvises and dolls.

Women will be given kits comprising items such as scalpel, pad, wipe and birth certificate, translated in to the local dialect by Mrs Lawton’s father-in-law Ralph.

The women will provide educational talks and distribute birthing kits. Picture: Philip Rogers

“My husband Doug’s family were missionaries in Kiriwina and had their children there. Their whole lives have focused around the island and its people and Ralph’s wife Margaret started helping these untrained midwives. I couldn’t abide the thought of their work falling by the wayside,” Mrs Lawton, 50, said.

Mrs Lawton added a brush with breast cancer herself made her want to help.

“You face death and you think, ‘What am I here for?’ Cancer made me realise there is more to life and that I needed to give back. I feel like it’s my calling.”

Mrs Lawton and her Kiriwina crew — including Ralph and Margaret’s daughter Jenni, who was born on the island, midwife Jacqui Andrews and support representative Vanessa Palfreeman, will leave for the island on April 22.

Manly Daily article 23/2/2017

For more information about our wonderful VHV training program initiative please download our very informative brochure from the link below.

CFKVHVTrainingprogram-brochure.pdf

J903N Caring for Kiriwina seeks support to improve the quality of maternity care services which will save lives of women and babies on the PNG Island of Kiriwina. Our current project is to provide a one week training program in 2017 on Kiriwina in basic and emergency skills in maternal and new born health.

Currently there are approximately 100 Village Health Volunteers scattered around the Island of Kiriwina. Of those, less than 5 have ever received any training in health …care services for women and their new born that focuses on pregnancy, birth and the immediate postnatal period. Most of the Village Health Volunteers rely on handed down knowledge and first-hand job experience.

Our plan is for two Australian registered midwife educators will travel to the island of Kiriwina in April 2017 to facilitate an education program at one of the main villages. The program will incorporate guidelines from the World Health Organisation Safe Childbirth Initiative, and we anticipate that between 50 and 75 Village Health Volunteers will be able to attend the five-day course.

The two trainers will be accompanied by three Australian support staff to assist with monitoring the program and liaison with the local Caring for Kiriwina representatives. The midwife educators and the Caring for Kiriwina support staff are providing their services on a volunteer basis.

Please help, go to http://caringforkiriwina.org/how-to-donate/

CARING FOR KIRIWINA has had a wonderful year, thanks to all the ongoing support of our fabulous donors.

Some highlights include:

• Two fabulous mid wives specialising in primary health care will be winging their way to Kiriwina around the first half of next year to assist with the much needed education of at least 50 of our midwives. We look forward to setting up this training program.
• 50 Caring for Kiriwina Village Health Volunteers (midwife) uniforms are on their way to the Island in time for the midwife education sessions in 2017.
• Becoming a recognised charity with the support of Global Development Group. CARING FOR KIRIWINA is a partner for Project J903N Caring for Kiriwina, PNG with Global Development Group (ABN 57 102 400 993).
• Sending at least 500 birthing kits to the Island.
• After spending time in Port Moresby having his donated hearing aids fitted, Jansen, the medical officer, is now back on Kiriwina and is able to continue to support the people in his health worker capacity
• Two separate deliveries of multiple boxes of donated Educational supplies have been distributed to various schools across the Island.CARING FOR KIRIWINA thanks you for your ongoing support, without which these programs would not be possible. Merry Christmas and best wishes for the New Year.
  To donate – www.gdg.org.au/GiveToJ903N.

50 Caring for Kiriwina VHV Uniforms