Sing village in Bougainville has a new market equipped with handwashing and hygiene facilities to protect locals against COVID-19.
The Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) Lands Minister, Robert Hamal Sawa, Bougainville Women’s Federation President, Barbara Tanne and Australian High Commissioner, Jon Philp launched the new market equipped with water tanks and hygiene facilities.
The facilities are part of a K14.3 million project that is providing water security and hygiene facilities at 50 markets and schools across Bougainville and this initiative will help to promote greater economic participation and encourage people to be more hygienic.
The water security project is supported through the Bougainville partnership between ABG and the governments of PNG, Australia and New Zealand and this will create nearly a million litres of clean water storage.
Present at the launch and conducted awareness and offered on-site vaccinations was an ABG Department of Health mobile COVID-19 vaccination clinic, and 83-year-old farmer Luca Kahi set an example for others by being vaccinated.
Mr Sawa and former Deputy Speaker in the ABG parliament, Francesca Semoso spoke to the people on the importance of being vaccinated as it would benefit them all.
High Commissioner Philp told the people of Sing Village that handwashing and proper hygiene as part of the Niupela Pasin coincided with being vaccinated to reduce the spread of COVID and end the pandemic.
The project distributed hygiene kits, including COVID-19 information, soap, and facemasks, additionally, Australia is working closely with ABG Department of Health to support the COVID-19 response, including more than K2 million for preparedness efforts and the vaccine rollout.
