This special SoroptiVoice Blog for December 10 comes from Meredith Tutumang of SI Lae in Papua New Guinea, one of the SI clubs involved in the Birthing in the Pacific project. Meredith Tutumang is the Team Leader for the Village Birth Attendant Programme under SI Lae. In August 2012, the first community mobilization trip took place. Because of the rugged geographical location and remoteness of the location to be covered in the VBA project, Meredith negotiated for the PNG Defense Force to provide tracking leadership, logistical support and security for the SI team.
This post is reproduced with kind permission from The Soroptimist SWP newsletter November 2012.
The journey from Kamiatum to Mubo village was very challenging. The topography changed from high mountains with savannah and fern grassland to tropical rainforest filled with moss. The distance was 13km and it took us 11 hours moving continuously, as we had to get to the village before nightfall. We did mountain climbing for four hours and dropped down into a river way, the only path to Mubo village. There are no other roads or tracks except this river way, in which we spent another seven hours and did 50 crosses in this cold, cold water.
At Mubo, the primary school accepted us and gave us a house and provided food for our entire stay. Mubo is a very remote community with little to no literacy at all. Young babies and mothers lack clothing. During the village workshop, a SI VBA committee was formed and people expressed great need for partnership so they can change their lives. They said their only route to civilization was by the river way and if flooded, they were cut off. Men, women and babies have died because accessibility to basic services is difficult. They said if one was sick, they made stretchers and carried them hours in the water to get help.
In this village in the last five years more than three mothers and babies have died. Currently, six mothers are pregnant and will give birth in the village. I have requested the possibility of having a birthing house with full clean water system into the house. On this trip the PNG Defence Force has helped to do site investigation for an appropriate location for the house, right materials, and the source of water. Getting cargo into this area would only be by helicopter so a helipad was also identified. All these technical details form part of my detailed report.