Sharing lessons, changing lives

AUSTRALIA Awards scholarship recipients Janet Towaki and Paula Zebedee Aines recently completed their postgraduate midwifery degrees in Australia.
It embodies leadership in action. Leadership for them means advocating clinical best practice, setting a positive example in the community, and sharing skills and knowledge in their home country.
Janet and Paula started their careers as nurses in regional areas – Janet at the Daru General Hospital in Western, and Paula at a rural health facility in Western Highlands.
A desire to develop midwifery skills saw them both apply to pursue a Bachelor of Midwifery degree under Australia awards in-PNG scholarships.
Nearly 600 Papua New Guineans have already been awarded midwifery scholarships.
Janet is grateful to have been given the opportunity by the Health Department and the Australia Awards to pursue studies in Australia.
“So here I am, with a completed Masters degree in Clinical Midwifery Practice from Monash University, Victoria.”
Paula recently completed a Master of Midwifery (coursework and research) at Flinders University in Adelaide.

“ I was interested in the area of sexual and reproductive health, so my mentor introduced me to the Multicultural Women’s Health Centre, where she is a board member.”

“I want to contribute to a change in maternal health in three key areas: promoting evidence-based practice using my research skills with the nurses and midwives, advocating for the ethical principles on clinical practice, and sharing advanced midwifery information that I have learnt, and working with rural women on an economic empowerment project.”
In recognition of their achievements, the two women were selected for the Australia Awards women’s leadership initiative.
This global initiative supports participants — selected from Australia Awards scholars and alumni — to fulfil their leadership potential and drive big ideas and reforms in their communities.
Leadership skills, mentoring and sharing experiences with others from across the region are all on the agenda.
Janet was part of the initiative in February last year.
“I participated in leadership workshops in Canberra and Queensland. I also had a mentor and access to coaching.
“I was interested in the area of sexual and reproductive health, so my mentor introduced me to the Multicultural Women’s Health Centre, where she is a board member.
“She also introduced me to the chief executive officer of Family Planning Victoria. I had a one-to-one conversation with him and members of their teams.”
Paula also spent her time with the Australia Awards Women Leadership Initiative to build her social inclusion skills, exploring links between gender-based violence and issues both health and social.
“I look at gender-based violence. In the clinic where I work, many of the presented cases related to violence. I have networked with the Pacific Beanies Group, Australian women knit beanies and I distribute these among Pacific awardees to take back to their countries.
“I brought the beanies to PNG to donate to neonatal intensive sections in the hospital and health centres in the Highlands.
“I have also networked with the Soroptimist International club in Adelaide to provide polar fleeces for premature newborns, and with Rotary International in Adelaide on a midwifery leadership project in PNG.”
Janet and Paula want to support positive change on a wider scale at home.
In Western where Janet works, there are no refresher courses organised for nurses.
“So I plan to start one where nurses, midwives and community health workers can come together for an education session each week to stay abreast with recent changes and updates of evidence-based practice.”
She hopes her teenage education programme will benefit a lot of people including healthcare providers.
Paula plans to encourage midwives to apply for the Australia Awards scholarship “so that together we can share information, develop a networking system and drive positive change”.

• Story and picture supplied by the Australian High Commission in Port Moresby