Projects set to assist midwives

SOROPTIMISTS International (SI) clubs in Lae, Ramu and Port Moresby are currently working on a two-year project under its project area of health care to assist in the upskill training of midwives in the country.
SI plans to train about 120 midwives in the country and facilitating them is  Alana Street, an Australian midwife and a member of SI’s sister club in Australia-Business On Collins.
Street will head a team consisting of PNG and Australian members as selected by the SI Federation headquarters to facilitate and run the project networking through the PNG Midwifery Society (PNGMWS).
“The pilot project conducted in May was a success, so we hope to kick-start this training next year until 2012,” SI’s programme UN liaison officer, Florence Bunari, said.
She said apart from that, SI was also working in partnership with PNGMWS president and sister in charge of the Port Moresby General Hospital’s labour ward, Sr Alice Baira, to assist in setting up a permanent office for the society and its members.
“Since our Port Moresby club’s launch in Nov 25, 2005, our club has had this on-going project called Niupela bilong tumora where every quarter of the year, we visit the hospital and take along baby gift packs to give out to the mothers and their newborns.
“So we have had a long relationship with the post natal ward and have seen how some of our women have suffered through lack of basic necessities for themselves and their new borns,” she said.
Bunari said this year, City Pharmacy Ltd (CPL) stepped in and assisted SI in the project sustaining it for one more year and expressed gratitude to be able to network and partner with them (CPL) for this worthy course.
“We asked for help from the Rotary Club of  Boroko and, through Monica Salter, the Rotary club were able to respond to our wish  and gave us two wheelchairs which we delivered to  the antenatal clinic where pregnant mothers go for their monthly check ups and family planning.”
She said they were also working on another project and were organising a major fundraiser next March 12 at the Gateway Hotel banquet hall called the “BollyWood Night”.
“It is a charity event to support our project called Soroptimist 4E’s in providing women and girls training on what we hope for them to have a sustainable future through our project.
“The 4Es stand for equity, equality, education and empowerment.”