Our Stories
Anguganak: A Journey of Service
What do three mid-wives, a counsellor and a civil engineer have in common?
Well, faith in God for a start and secondly, Debra Butters, Kym Robinson, Jan Thomas, Di Priest and James Hemetsberger comprised the volunteer mission team which headed to Anguganak Papua New Guinea on April 16th, and have recently returned.
Deb Butters and members of HBBC have supported the Anguganak Christian Brethren Churches Health Service for over 8 years. Underneath Deb’s quiet, calm demeanour lies a deep passion to see women in PNG receive as much support and resources as possible to help bring babies safely into this world.
More than a Numbers Game
Just one hour north of Australia, women and babies needlessly die during childbirth in PNG. Each year, more than 1,500 mothers (those that are reported) lose their lives and more than 5,000 newborns perish in the first month of life. Yes, these statistics are high, and many factors play into the cause. Deb and her team provided safe motherhood training workshops to over 100 village birth attendants this year. These women received training and resources to help improve the outcomes for women in their remote villages. Most of these women had attended previously, and looked forward to the on-going training, materials and support provided by Deb and her team. The team's aim was to strengthen their links with the health centre staff, the aid post workers, and the village birth attendants.
An Unavoidable Reality
For many women around the world, the menstrual cycle is a challenge to navigate without access to decent hygiene and materials to help each month. Days for Girls was another aspect of the team’s focus. Training was provided to the older students in the local school and to many of the women. Deb and her sewing team here in Hervey Bay had prepared Days for Girls Packs, which consisted of re-usable pads and materials to help women manage this important part of life.
The training also helped adolescent girls to understand their bodies, the changes that occur during puberty, and how the Days for Girls kits can empower them to continue their education while managing their menstrual health. The team also ran training for the young men in the school to help them understand their bodies, and the ways they can support the young women in their tribes and villages.
The Harvest is Ripe
You’ve been wondering about the counsellor and the civil engineer? Well, they also enjoy teaching God’s Word to those who have ears to hear. The opportunity this year was to be involved in running some classes for the husbands and wives who attend the Bible School on the site. Both James and Di speak Tok Pisin, and both spent quality time with the students each day while on the base.
Another opportunity was also to teach over 100 new young believers. The Bible School recently hosted a Youth Camp, which was attended by over 600 young people who hiked and travelled through the jungles and mountains to attend and hear the gospel! Yes indeed, the ‘harvest is ripe’ as the Bible says.
Di also provided support to a number of the PNG birthing attendants who had experienced or been exposed to domestic violence. The opportunity to hear their stories and provide comfort and understanding remains a small step towards empowering women as they face violence in intimate relationships.
James also put on his engineer’s hat during the trip and assisted in assessing and advising on a number of practical projects, such as water tanks and building works being done on the site.
Donations are welcome to continue to resource the project in providing:
Donations can be made here and referenced as 'Anguganak'.
Well, faith in God for a start and secondly, Debra Butters, Kym Robinson, Jan Thomas, Di Priest and James Hemetsberger comprised the volunteer mission team which headed to Anguganak Papua New Guinea on April 16th, and have recently returned.
Deb Butters and members of HBBC have supported the Anguganak Christian Brethren Churches Health Service for over 8 years. Underneath Deb’s quiet, calm demeanour lies a deep passion to see women in PNG receive as much support and resources as possible to help bring babies safely into this world.
More than a Numbers Game
Just one hour north of Australia, women and babies needlessly die during childbirth in PNG. Each year, more than 1,500 mothers (those that are reported) lose their lives and more than 5,000 newborns perish in the first month of life. Yes, these statistics are high, and many factors play into the cause. Deb and her team provided safe motherhood training workshops to over 100 village birth attendants this year. These women received training and resources to help improve the outcomes for women in their remote villages. Most of these women had attended previously, and looked forward to the on-going training, materials and support provided by Deb and her team. The team's aim was to strengthen their links with the health centre staff, the aid post workers, and the village birth attendants.
An Unavoidable Reality
For many women around the world, the menstrual cycle is a challenge to navigate without access to decent hygiene and materials to help each month. Days for Girls was another aspect of the team’s focus. Training was provided to the older students in the local school and to many of the women. Deb and her sewing team here in Hervey Bay had prepared Days for Girls Packs, which consisted of re-usable pads and materials to help women manage this important part of life.
The training also helped adolescent girls to understand their bodies, the changes that occur during puberty, and how the Days for Girls kits can empower them to continue their education while managing their menstrual health. The team also ran training for the young men in the school to help them understand their bodies, and the ways they can support the young women in their tribes and villages.
The Harvest is Ripe
You’ve been wondering about the counsellor and the civil engineer? Well, they also enjoy teaching God’s Word to those who have ears to hear. The opportunity this year was to be involved in running some classes for the husbands and wives who attend the Bible School on the site. Both James and Di speak Tok Pisin, and both spent quality time with the students each day while on the base.
Another opportunity was also to teach over 100 new young believers. The Bible School recently hosted a Youth Camp, which was attended by over 600 young people who hiked and travelled through the jungles and mountains to attend and hear the gospel! Yes indeed, the ‘harvest is ripe’ as the Bible says.
Di also provided support to a number of the PNG birthing attendants who had experienced or been exposed to domestic violence. The opportunity to hear their stories and provide comfort and understanding remains a small step towards empowering women as they face violence in intimate relationships.
James also put on his engineer’s hat during the trip and assisted in assessing and advising on a number of practical projects, such as water tanks and building works being done on the site.
Donations are welcome to continue to resource the project in providing:
- Birthing Kits
- Days for Girls Kits
- New Testament Tok Pisin Bibles (new believers have limited access to bibles)
- Teaching Equipment and Resources
Donations can be made here and referenced as 'Anguganak'.
Posted in Our Stories