Living Child

Meet Jodela and Silpia. 👋

These two women live in a community that takes four hours to reach by boat from the nearest hospital in Angoram, Papua New Guinea.

Earlier this year, both became mothers for the first time. Silpia welcomed her son in January. Jodela's daughter arrived in April.

A decade ago, women in their community faced pregnancy with little support and no trained care nearby. Jodela and Silpia's stories show how much hard-won progress has been made - with much more to come.

Stay tuned over the next few weeks as we share their stories. 👶

"We will be working together as the bridge between the mothers and the health workers."
Senior VBA, Yamen 2

These powerful words were said at our recent graduation ceremony, celebrating 34 new graduates of our four-day Helpim Mama training course. Village Birth Attendants are not replacing the health system. They are the bridge to it - trained community members who walk alongside pregnant women, recognise danger signs early, and make sure mothers reach skilled care when they need it most.

Later this week, we look forward to sharing stories from two mothers from Yamen whose experiences show why this training is so important. Stay tuned 💜

Celebrating 34 new Helpim Mama graduates! 💜

These new volunteers attended our recent four-day course in Yamen, having been nominated by their communities as having the passion, skills and commitment to support the next generation of mothers and babies in their village. It was a pleasure to witness their knowledge and confidence rise and to recognise their achievement in a very special graduation ceremony! 🎓

These 34 volunteers will now return to 19 villages and bridge the gap between women in their community and formal health services - providing maternal health education, recognising danger signs early, and helping mothers access the health facilities and skilled care they need for a safe birth.

Your donation this EOFY helps us train the next cohort: https://www.livingchildinc.org.au/donate 🩵

Somewhere in a remote village in Papua New Guinea, a woman is pregnant.

She deserves to give birth safely - at a health facility, with a skilled attendant by her side. But when the nearest clinic is hours away and she must travel by canoe, getting there isn't simple.

That's where Living Child comes in. Our Helpim Mama project trains community volunteers like Village Birth Attendants to support women through pregnancy - recognising danger signs early, providing health education in the community, and encouraging and helping women to prepare to travel to a health facility when the time comes.

A safe birth doesn't happen by accident. It happens because someone has been equipped, trained and supported to make it possible.

June 30 is the end of the financial year in Australia, which means your donation right now is tax deductible, and goes directly to supporting women like her.

Donate now: https://www.livingchildinc.org.au/donate 🩵

Parachute = joy! 🌈

Our inaugural Keram Kids Club was a huge success, engaging over 80 children from ages 3 - 14. We had a wonderful four days of playing, learning, singing and skill-building together. 🤸‍♀️

A big thanks to those who attended our End of Year Celebration last year - you made it possible to bring resources like this parachute to kids who will use and love them for years to come!

Help us create more moments like this. Donate before June 30 and your gift is tax deductible in Australia: www.livingchildinc.org.au/donate 🩵

It's National Volunteer Week, and we want to take this opportunity to say 'tenkyu tumas' to all of our amazing volunteers, past and present! You are the heartbeat of Living Child.

PNG has an extensive volunteer health workforce, particularly in rural/remote villages. We also want to say a very special thanks to the thousands of community volunteers who selflessly step up and give their time and effort to help those around them. 🩵

Our amazing team has just returned from the field, with many powerful stories to share from the past few weeks! The villages along the Keram River are among the hardest to access in PNG - but that's exactly why we go.

Did you know it takes four hours by car, and then another four hours by boat for us to reach our base in Yamen from the provincial capital of Wewak? 🚙🛥

The LC Board has just wrapped up two days of strategic planning, shaping the direction of our next chapter. 📝

A big thank you to our Directors for the time, wisdom, and leadership they bring as Living Child continues to strengthen and grow!

On this day, 13 years ago, Living Child Inc. was officially registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission. What an amazing journey it has been since then!

A big thank you to every person and organisation who has donated to us, volunteered for us and partnered with us with along the way. Thank you for being part of our story.

Please join us on a walk down memory lane to celebrate our 13th birthday! 🎉