Lady Emeline Dadae, wife of Governor General Bob Dadae, was a guest at a recent Family Planning awareness session hosted by Marie Stopes PNG and facilitated by PNG Cancer Foundation, at Vabukori Village.
MSPNG personnel presented sessions on Family Planning (FP) and Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) that formed part of the Health Awareness Program facilitated by the PNG Cancer Foundation (PNGCF) Programs Coordinator, Renee Marru, on Friday 30th June held at the Lohia-Rahe Resource Centre.
With the theme ‘Start the conversation. Let’s take action. Make healthy lifestyle choices,’ 32 female residents of Vabukori participated in the awareness session where they learned how to care for their loved ones in terms of Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH).
It was a close collaboration of health professionals from VWDA, Motu Koita Assembly Health Division, MSPNG, World Vision, Port Moresby General Hospital, NCD Provincial Health Authority and the University of Papua New Guinea.
Each of the organisation had booths to provide health information merchandise that ranged from brochures, leaflets, and wristbands.
Lady Dadae, in addressing the women, emphasized on the importance of Family Planning and how it could be used to transform the lives of their families and communities for the better.
“When you train a woman, you train a nation. When you help others, you are helping the departments and organisations who are directly responsible for healthcare provision. You are helping our country as a whole,” she said.
“Our friends here are professionals in the health sector and their awareness sessions today are a valuable source of information to better take care of ourselves. Take the information shared today and help bring change in your society,” Lady Dadae said.
MSPNG Central Outreach Clinical Nurse, Christina Kiapa shared her experiences in providing health services throughout Central Province, which she gladly provided her knowledge with the women of Vabukori.
“I’ve advocated the importance of maintaining good health in many remote parts of Central Province, but it’s just as important to do the same with local communities within the city,” Kiapa said.
“Thanks to PNGCF and MSPNG, I’ve been able to come and present to the mothers and women of Vabukori village because even though it’s nearby to the city, access to life saving information on healthcare is still needed. I’ve shared what I know, and I hope it impacts their lives in a positive way.”
PNGCF’s Renee Marru described acknowledged that it’s the first time PNGCF had collaborated with its partners in conducting health awareness and reassured that there would be more of such alliances in future.
Meantime, VWDA Executive Committee president, Molly O'Rourke, extended her gratitude to all those involved in presenting sessions and thanked the partnering organisations for their time in providing vital health information to their community.
“We extend our sincere appreciation to PNGCF and its partners for supporting our first ever community Health Awareness. We are very grateful for your time and look forward to working with you in bringing more Health awareness to our communities,” Ms O’Rourke said.
PNG Cancer Foundation facilitated the awareness under their Community Outreach Prevention and Education Program, with the aim at raising awareness on cancer and other health issues women face in the country.
Sessions presented ranged from Basics of Cancer, Family Planning and Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) and Awareness’s on Tuberculosis and Covid-19.