Additional birthing and dignity kits, uniforms, and feminine care products have been dispatched. Thanks to our wonderful sponsors and donors and packers and our wonderful Postie Andie 🙂
Although the Health System in Kiriwina is now operational, there is still a lack of basic drugs, and therefore, people cannot seek medical treatment from the Health Centre when they are sick.
The people seek alternative means such as traditional herbs as source of medicine or seek assistance from relatives in towns and cities to send them medicine.
Life-threatening cases are referred to Alotau Health Centre but is costly and many patients could not afford to meet the costs of boat fares, hospital fees and their up keep whilst in Alotau.
The Losuia Airstrip has remained closed for 2 years now and this makes travel difficult. Patience travel by boat or banana boats through rough seas to Alotau Provincial Hospital for medical treatment.
Featured photo, the fabulous Jess and Charly from Pharmacy Select Balgowlah. These donations are now winging their way to help the desperate people in Kiriwina.
Now this bumper crop has created a surplus food that will be stored away for future use. The yam harvest celebration will be in mid July.
2nd prize3rd prize
Congratulations! goes tothe winner of the Kavataria Food Security Program gardening competition: Photo above of the biggest heap of yams, over six arm spans in featured photo.
A total of 207 gardeners and only the first 10 top yams heaps were photographed. Yams heaps ranging from 6 arm spans (length of two arms) to 1 arm span and including yams gathered and not heaped in the coned form.
The CFK donors have assisted the food security program in providing uniforms for the Food Security Committee members and also assisted our In Country Manager, Mr Toks Bwaina to pay for seeds and assist in travel costs to and from Kiriwina to ensure the program is running smoothly.
Mr Toks Bwaina has been the major sponsor of the Food Security Program over the last 8 years to ensure there is abundance of local food production in the community and encourage people to work their gardens as the main source of food supply.
With less monetary income earned to support their everyday living, the people rely on the local food grown and produced from the gardens through subsistence farming to alleviate poverty and food shortages.
With 3 on-going programs… Caring for Kiriwina (CFK) has been helping the women and children on Kiriwina for many years. These programs support the over 300 Village Birth Attendants, Health and Hygiene projects, including food security and clean drinking water and school children’s Education across the Trobriand Islands.
Please give generously this end of financial year to help support this ongoing work.
We urgently require your assistance for baby Tomakam, who was delivered by CFK VBAs and is in need of immediate support. Despite tireless efforts by his parents, they have been unable to find medical assistance at the local hospital in Alotau.
Tomakam’s upcoming evaluation is scheduled for July 3, 2023. Your contribution has the power to bring about a life-altering change.
To contribute, kindly click on the donation button located on the left. Even the smallest amount can make a significant difference. Together, we can provide hope for this vulnerable
infant.
CLICK HERE to view the article about baby Tomakam’s plight that appeared in the PNG National Enquirer newspaper on Friday 23/06-2023.
It is a joy that we can be a part of Margaret ‘s vision to improve the lives of the people of Kiriwina. We value our connection to this work which is life-giving and enriching in providing access to healthy birthing, addressing food security and clean water, and supporting the education of students in a very remote part of our world.
The Convenor of the Yarralumla Uniting Church Arts and Crafts Committee, Lynne Thomson.
Our eternal gratitude goes out to the Yarralumla Church congregation for their ongoing support for the Rev Dr Ralph and Margaret Lawton‘s life’s work and legacy.
Kamatokisi!
Featured photo: Yarralumla Uniting Church delegation photographed with members of the Lawton family and a film crew from New Zealand Bible Society on our 2012 trip to Kiriwina for the Kiriwinan bible dedication.
The subsequent film of the 2012 Kiriwina Bible dedication can be seen at the following link: https://caringforkiriwina.org.au/about/rev-dr-ralph-lawton-and-margaret-lawtons-translation-work/
e-NEWS Caring For Kiriwina – Kamatokisi Kiriwina!
May 2023
Dear ,
After the recent unrest in Kiriwina, a real celebration of love and life was called for, and that is precisely what we got at the inaugural ‘Lawton Day’ celebrations held on the 21st of April 2023, combined with a CFK reporting trip.
We are incredibly pleased to report that
although we have not been able to visit Kiriwina for 3.5 years to run our annual VBA training events due to COVID and the lack of flights to Kiriwina, the training that we had managed to put in place before COVID and the other CFK projects have continued to grow and flourish due to incredible teamwork and tenacity of the Kiriwinan people and our wonderful sponsors and donors.
At the invitation of Bishop Agabu Entonio and the PNG United Church, a small group of dim dims from Australia, including all three of their children and families, recently attended the memorial and burial service of Rev Dr Ralph “Iyupalilaguyau Lotoni” and Marama Margaret Lawton, where their ashes were interred in a new memorial on Oyabia Station. Images and videos cannot truly convey these amazing celebrations, sights, sounds and emotions. The Kiriwinans really know how to celebrate life, and a sample of what we have managed to record of the proceedings can be found on the CFK website as well as a piece written by one of our intrepid life travellers and best friends, Daydd Kelly. As we
have grown to expect from Daydd, he has penned a unique perspective of the events he called Chairing for Kiriwina, to view CLICK HERE. We are in the process of creating a video of the event, which will be posted once completed :).
We also held productive meetings with VBA representatives to follow up on progress and discuss plans for our next training sessions, which we hope to run later in the year.
On this recent trip, Dr. Jerry Wong chats with our fantastic CFK VBA team to find out the specific training needs.
Head VBA Ruth and senior VBA Edith take delivery of all the donated birthing kits and hand-knitted and hand-sewn baby clothes from our donors at the Belrose Country Club Knitters and St Swithuns Church in Pymble. We have recently sent over another 40 solar lanterns, uniform material, and more birthing kits for the VBAs. Thank you, all you wonderful donors, for all your kindness and generosity!
Video 1: CFK Head VBA Ruth Boaz praises Margaret Lawton’s legacy.
Video 2: CFK VBA’s sing a thank you song to the CFK midwife educators Shea Caplice and Jacqui Andrews.
With the ongoing closure of the airport, deliveries to Kiriwina take perseverance and patience. All successful deliveries are to be applauded! These donations were sent via boat to Kiriwina from Alotau this weekend by our wonderful in-country manager Toks Bwaina.
Thank you again to all our sponsors and donors :).