PNG Stoma Foundation

The fundraiser saw business houses and individuals stepping in with cash and kind to push the foundation towards achieving its goal.

Founder Janet Yaki, an ostomate herself, thanked all those who have been supporting the society over the years.

She was emotional when reflecting on the hardships of ostomates in the country.

An Ostomate is a person who has undergone a surgical procedure to create an opening in the body that will be used to discharge waste. 

Ostomates are always considering this when out in public.

They are in this situation due to bowel cancer or accidents forcing them to remove waste through an artificial opening called stoma.

But lack of supplies (colostomy bags) and less knowledge sees Ostomates in PNG using other things such as diapers and shopping bags or refusing to move around in public places to avoid embarrassment.

Greg Neville, Managing Director of Matrix Constructions PNG has been supporting the PNG Stoma Foundation to give them a better life.

The dinner which was initially scheduled for October 5 but deferred is the foundation’s biggest fundraiser hosted in the past five years.

The Stoma association, formed by ostomate Janet Yaki is dedicated to assisting other ostomates in the country live normal lives .

It receives assistance from various charities and groups.

The fundraising dinner is aimed at raising funds to assist establish a specialist centre in the country, one that will cost more than K1.5 million.

And as its responsibility, the foundation continues to push for awareness on Stoma and all other types of cancer that leads to it.