Australian Aid Program Supports Six Community Based Groups in the Western Province

Biomabu Womens Groups  secretary and Village Birth Attendent
Elisa Taipi (left), chairperson Gina Baidam (middle) and
treasure Goigo Mapo displaying their Funding Deed.

Gina Baidam was born in a makeshift bush-shelter built from bamboo and leaves.    A rope tied from a nearby tree was all her mother had to hold on to as she squatted over a sago-palm container on the bare dirt floor.  

“My father had packed that place with firewood and water collected from the river for the comfort of my mother and her village birth attendant,” said Gina.

Gina is now a middle aged woman, yet even today most mothers-to-be in her village of Severimabu, a remote Western Province community on the Fly River (three days walk from the nearest aid post), will experience equally harsh and dangerous conditions during childbirth. 
Over the years she has witnessed all too many of the complications and tragedies that are the inevitable consequence. It’s a far cry from the comfort and security that women in urban communities take for granted; a delivery room with electricity, clean running water, sophisticated birthing kits and a trained mid wife.

That is what inspired Gina to set-up a support service for the women in her community known as the Biomabu Women’s Group.  Together with her group of four experienced Village Birth Attendants she aspires to build her community a semi-permanent delivery house, equipped with water tanks, solar lighting and basic delivery kits.  It will be a place of comfort and safety for women during the critical passage of childbirth.  

There is already positive energy behind this project. The men in the community have volunteered to collect building materials and construct the delivery house.   Now they’ve been given some extra help with a grant of K69,300 from the people of Australia through the Australian Aid program. This support will be made available through the Australian Aid funded Strongim Pipol Strongim Nesen program’s community development small grants scheme.

Strongim Pipol Strongim Nesen is a democratic governance program implemented as a partnership between the Governments of Papua New Guinea and Australia.

The Australian Aid program through SPSN provides grants and capacity building to organisations promoting gender equality and improving access to health, education and disability services.

Part of this funding will allow for 10 Village Birth Attendants (VBA’s) to be trained by the Provincial Health Office on the basic skills to assist women in labour.   Village Birth Attendants can help pregnant women recognise labour or danger-signs, during and after childbirth, their wisdom and support can often save the lives of pregnant women and their babies.

“We are very excited and very blessed with this gift; our cries for help have been heard. We want to say Thank you to the people of Australia for coming to assist our mothers and to save lives. We are very blessed. Thank you!” said Gina.

Elisha Tabi is another leading member of the Biomabu Women’s Group.  As a Village Birth Attendant, she has supervised more than 200 safe births and provided companionship and comfort to women in labour since 2001.   The role of Village Birth Attendant is usually voluntary without payment or reward.  But Elisa like so many other Village Birth Attendants knows she is appreciated as a symbol of hope and compassion and she continues to work tirelessly and without complaint.

 “Planti meri save bungim bikpela hevi long taim blo karim pikinini, nau mi hamamas olsem dispela helivim bai sapotim wok blo mi olsem VBA na stretim sampela hevi blo ol mama lo komuniti blo mi, so mi tok tenku“ Elisha says in tokpisin.

(“Many women experience a lot of difficulties during labour but now I am happy that this funding will help me in my role as a VBA and also help alleviate some of the hardships mothers in my community face, for which I am thankful”)

Elisa understands that mothers in labour should have access to supervised delivery in a health facility but until that service is more readily available she is please to fulfil the role of a Village Birth Attendant.

On March 1, 2013, the Biomabu Women’s Group joined six other groups from Western Province, in a small yet significant ceremony held at the Peter Torot Centre in Kiunga, to receive Funding Deeds totalling K309, 280 from the Australian Aid program.

The other recipients were:

• West Papua Women’s Group who will receive K73,330 AusAID funding to set up a mobile haus kai to help 52 women generate income to support their families. These women are refugees and non-citizens from West Papua with no land for subsistence farming.
• Daru Family and Sexual Violence Action Committee will get K70,570 AusAID funding to train 30 advocates to raise awareness and coordinate action against Family and Sexual Violence in the four  wards of South Fly District.
• Kranai Village Eco Tourism will get K40,995 AusAID funding  for a capacity building  agriculture project that will include financial management training.
• Kismasa Island Group will get K29,670 support for a poultry project to increase income generation opportunities and provide an alternative meat source for 20 families in the Kimana Ward of the Middle Fly District.
• Mahobe Youth Group will get K25,360 to carry out vegetable farming which will improve livelihood opportunities for youths in the North Awin Local Level Government in Kiunga District.

Representatives from the six community based organisations proudly display their Funding Deed with SPSN Field Program Coordinator Sabi Pati (front row, left) and representatives from the provincial government in Kiunga.