In Papua New Guinea (PNG) access to midwifery care saves the lives of mothers and their babies, however there is a large need for skilled and educated midwives. The Rotary Club of Morialta accepted the challenge and developed a 3-year project, to provide midwives in PNG with a leadership and advocacy ‘buddy’ program.
The Rotary Club of St Peters supports the project financially.
A large percentage of people in Papua New Guinea (PNG) live in rural and remote, isolated areas. There are an estimated 250,000 births in PNG per year and most of them are in these rural areas. It is well known that women and babies die in large numbers in PNG.
Each year of the project, 6 Australian midwives volunteer their time to work with their colleagues in PNG. The buddy pairs will be expected to form a long-term relationship and to mentor others entering the program over the coming years.