Craft bazaar signals start of fund raising events

THE All Nations Women’s Group (ANWG) will be hosting their annual international craft bazaar on Nov 6 and are inviting women from all nationalities to attend and raise funds to assist various areas within the health and education sectors in the country.
Purchasing and buying of medical supplies for the Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH) has been one major  fundraising drive that the ANWG continues to support.
The women’s group has been assisting the hospital’s labour ward and the special care nursery for premature babies with basic medical supplies that are often out of stock.
Former ANWG president Jeanette Johnson is a trained nurse and is a regular volunteer at the PMGH’s ante-natal clinic.
She has seen the struggles by staff at the hospital who work tirelessly with limited resources and inadequate supplies.
Through her (Johnson) appeal to the local community back in Australia, she has received very good feedback with support coming from the Soroptimist Club which had donated knitted bonnets, rugs and small-sized clothing for premature babies and some money to purchase nasogastric tubes for the babies.
She was quoted recently in a local Australian newspaper saying: “These consumables look small and can be overlooked by those ordering medical supplies, but these are essentials that will determine whether an infant, who cannot be given fluid through the mouth, survives.”
Other areas that the ANWG have assisted in the health sector include :
* Buying and supplying CTG paper for the CTG machine, lubricant gel and examination lamp for the PMGH’s labour ward; 
* Nasogastric tubes and cannuals for PMGH’s special care nursery;
* Metal speculums for PMGH;
* Medication for reformed ministries; 
* Medical supplies to mothers who are HIV positive and cared for by Simon Cyrene.
They had also assisted schools and provided scholarships to young women studying in tertiary institutions.
“Since its inception in 1982, the group has always maintained it’s  aims which was to promote international fellowship and goodwill by developing among members an appreciation and understanding of life and cultures of different nationalities,” ANWG president Evangeline Joyce said.