Kina Bank’s Goroka Branch staff recently raised funds to assist a local music artist, Moho’Nilla with materials to complete a Bel Mama Haus (BMH) for expectant mothers in the rural Upper Bena area of Eastern Highlands Province. The BMH is a waiting house where expectant mothers can rest before their delivery date. This facility is an initiative of the musician who witnessed firsthand the struggles faced by pregnant women in the area. With support from organisations like Kina Bank, the waiting haus located at the Sigere Health Centre is being equipped with materials to give these women a comfortable place to stay. Kina Bank Branch Manager for Goroka, Jo-Anna Simet said, “We recognised the needs of these mothers and decided to support Moho’Nilla by donating pillows, mattresses, bed linen, and nails to assist with the completion of the waiting house. “These mothers travel long distances to access medical facilities and face numerous challenges on their journey. Tragically, some mothers and their unborn babies do not survive the journey. We are pleased that our support means these mothers have a place to rest in the days leading up to their delivery dates and ensure access to immediate medical assistance is available when they need it,” she said. The donation was handed over to Moho’Nilla and her team, with Kina Bank’s Goroka branch staff witnessing the event. Kina Bank is delighted to support initiatives that benefit the communities they serve.

Prime Minister James Marape today conveyed his best wishes to Grade 12 students across Papua New Guinea who will be sitting for their final examinations from October 14 to October 18, 2024. This year, a total of 32,863 Grade 12 students from 225 Secondary Schools and six National Schools of Excellence will undertake these crucial exams, which mark a significant milestone in their educational journeys. Prime Minister Marape commended the students for their hard work and dedication, encouraging them to remain focused and give their best effort as they conclude their secondary education. “I extend my best wishes to all Grade 12 students as they prepare to sit for their final exams. This is a pivotal moment, and I urge each of you to approach your exams with confidence, knowing that you have worked hard to reach this point,” said Prime Minister Marape. He also expressed gratitude to the teachers, parents, and guardians who have supported these students throughout the year, highlighting the importance of their guidance and encouragement. “Your achievements in these exams are a testament not only to your own efforts but also to the unwavering support of your teachers, parents, and guardians. They have walked this path with you, and I thank them for their commitment to your success,” he added. PM Marape reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to education as a cornerstone of Papua New Guinea’s development and stressed the importance of fostering an environment where young people can thrive academically and personally.

The PNG Kumuls are ready to take on rivals, the Vodafone Fiji Bati, in the opening match of the Pacific Rugby League Bowl Championship this Saturday. According to Fiji Village, Kumuls captain Kyle Laybutt says they have learned from their weaknesses in Sunday's game where Australia beat the Kumuls 42-20. Laybutt says they need to work on those mistakes to build their confidence. He added that they have had a core group of players for a few years now and will refine their game plan as they move forward. Laybutt also mentioned that playing under a new coach and structure will boost their performance this week. On August 30th, it was announced that the tournament would include promotion, and relegation matches between the third-placed Pacific Cup team and the first-placed Pacific Bowl team in both the men's and women's tournaments. This marks a change in format from the 2023 Pacific Championships. The 2024 men's tournament will again feature two divisions, the Pacific Cup and the Pacific Bowl. The Cup will include top-ranked nations Australia, New Zealand, and Tonga, while the Bowl will see Fiji Bati, Papua New Guinea, and the Cook Islands competing. The Bati will host the Kumuls at 8.10pm (6pm PMG time) on Saturday at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva. Source: Fiji Village

Ok Tedi Limited (OTML) recently rolled out its long-awaited HPV (Human Papillomavirus) Screening and Treatment Program in the Western province, aimed at the prevention of cervical cancer. Commencing just recently on October 8th, the HPV Screening Program delivered essential healthcare services to employees of OTML, business partners, government departments, and communities across the Mine, Tabubil, Bige, and Kiunga operations. The program, possibly the first in Western Province, will be administered by the Tabubil Hospital every Tuesday with an expected turnaround time for results within 48 hours of the screening. Pap smear testing will also be conducted. This vital initiative was made possible through the support of the Ok Tedi Women’s Network (OWN) and OTML's Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Kedi Ilimbit. OTML Manager Health Services, Raymond Singamis said, “This program is a major milestone and will play a critical role in protecting women’s health by enabling the early detection and prevention of cervical cancer. I wish to thank OWN and Mr. Ilimbit for facilitating the procurement of the HPV screening kits.” Mr. Singamis added, “Apart from the screening process, OTML has added a bonus activity for those women who test positive for high-risk HPV types by providing treatment.” The HPV Screening procedure takes less than five minutes, requires no hospitalization or anaesthesia, and is conducted using a thermo-coagulator probe into the cervix for about 20 seconds. If the test results return positive for high-risk HPV types, that doesn’t mean a patient has cervical cancer, rather it indicates the presence of the virus that causes cervical cancer which can be easily treated with the Thermo Ablation method at the Tabubil Hospital. Additionally, if a cervical lesion (cervical sore) is detected during screening, then the screening process is abandoned and the patient is referred to the gynaecology team for further assessment and treatment. OTML has a corporate social responsibility to the people of Western Province and Papua New Guinea to provide lifesaving health interventions for women and our girls. As a development partner, OTML is committed to improving the health services for our workforce and surrounding community.

The third match of the day for the PM's XIII game saw the PNG women's team go down to the Australian ladies 50-0 at fulltime at the Santos National Football Stadium. With 9 minutes into the first half, Australia's Keele Browne secured her sides first try on the wing putting them in the lead. The conversion was unsuccessful leaving the first points at 4-0. The PNG women tried their best under the hot skies but we're unable to secure themselves a least a try to redeem themselves. The Australia women’s side kept their scoring spree on the go with two consecutive tries from Rory Owen on the right wing, Jamie Chapman followed by Keele Brown scoring her second try of the match. The PNG side tried their best but had a lot of clumsy minutes to force the team to hand over the ball to their opponents. Australia's Jamie Chapman scored another try for her team to put them in the lead, followed by Kezie Apps and Tehan Berry scoring their last try of the first try, taking them 44-0 at first half. Coming back to hopefully break the egg in the last 40 mins, the PNG Women's side we're unable to secure any try in the second half but were able to defend stronger only letting the Australians to score their last try, taking the fulltime score to 50-0.

While the grade ten (Grd10) students sit back and reflect on their recent national examinations, a total of 32, 863 grade twelve (Grd12) students from 225 secondary and 6 national school of excellence will commence their national examinations tomorrow, Monday 14th October 2024. In the Western Province, Education Advisor Mr. Charlie Buia told PNG HAUSBUNG that of the six (6) secondary schools in the province, eight-hundred and fifty-two (852) Grd12 students will sit for the exams. He said, they are anticipating a smooth run of the Grd12 exams like they did with the Grd10 examinations. “We did not experience any issues with the examinations. The exams in the province ran smoothly. The exam papers arrived on time and were delivered to all schools, and all the students were able to sit for the exams. We had no issues surrounding the administration of grd10 examinations in the province.” He also advised that those Grd10 students continuing to Grd11 can expect to check their results online towards the last week of November and the first week of December. Mr. Buia further encouraged them and stated that they have done their best to ensure that students were given all the help during the year and are happy to see them sit for their exams. “We wish all the students the very best and we would like to see that the students concentrate on their exams and avoid other issues as much as possible.” Meanwhile, here is the schedule for Grade 12 examinations tomorrow onwards: GRADE 12 EXAM SCHEDULE: October 14 (Monday) • Session 1: ADVANCED MATHEMATICS P1/ GENERAL MATHEMATICS P1. • Session 2: APPLIED SCIENCE /HISTORY. October 15 (Tuesday) • Session 1: PHYSICS /ACCOUNTING. • Session 2: GEOGRAPHY. October 16 (Wednesday) • Session 1: BIOLOGY/ECONOMICS. • Session 2: GEOLOGY / BUSINESS STUDIES. October 17 (Thursday) • Session 1: LANGUAGE & LITERATURE / APPLIED ENGLISH. •Session 2: CHEMISTRY / LEGAL STUDIES. October 18 (Friday) • Session 1: INFORMATION & COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY. • Session 2: ADVANCED MATHEMATICS P2 /GENERAL MATHEMATICS P2.

Save the Children, UNICEF and the National Government officially launched the Oky PNG- a groundbreaking period-tracker mobile app for girls on Friday 11th October, coinciding with International Girls Day. According to Oky Project Manager-Save the Children, Mr. Deanford Nianford, the app is now available on the Google Play Store and the App Store (Apple) as part of a soft launch for in-country testing and feedback, for promotional activities planned in Port Moresby. Oky is the first period tracking app co-created with girls, for girls aged 10-19 to learn about menstrual hygiene, puberty, personal safety, mental health, referral pathways and other topics important to girls in PNG. The global app has been tailored to PNG through a partnership between UNICEF PNG, Save the Children and the Government of PNG, with support from the Australian Government. The app is available in both Android and iOS versions. Dr Edward Waramin, Manager for Population and Family Health Services at the National Department of Health, said sexual and reproductive health is often considered taboo in PNG. "The National Department of Health is addressing this vital issue through its adolescent-focused programs," Dr Waramin said. "We are excited to see how Oky will empower a generation of girls to dream big and take charge of their health and wellbeing," he added. Oky PNG has been tailored with input from adolescent girls like 16- year-old Rachel, who said she was 13 when she had her period and couldn't stop crying. "I had no idea what was happening, if I had something like Oky back then, it would have made such a difference. Now, I want to share the information on Oky with girls in my community," Rachel said. The Oky PNG is also supported by the National Department of Education through the Office of the Secretary. It is noted that menstrual health and hygiene education and information is to be made available anytime whenever our students especially the girls need it and Oky is making this possible. Sam Lora, the First Assistant Secretary further reiterated that puberty is a challenging time for adolescents, and not having the right information can significantly impact the wellbeing of young girls, which in turn might affect their educational outcomes. "We hope that the information on Oky about puberty is utilized not just by girls but also by boys, teachers, and caregivers, so we can create a more supportive and girl-friendly social ecosystem." The Oky PNG initiative, backed by the Australian Government through its Indo-Pacific Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights COVID-19 Surge Response Program, aims to enhance digital health for girls in Papua New Guinea. In an effort to reach the most girls, the app functions both online and offline, is designed to work on lower-end smartphones, is compatible with older software, and is entirely free, without advertisements. UNICEF Country Representative, Angela Kearney emphasized the transformative Impact of the app, saying the app works offline, which is vital in a country where internet access is still expanding. "By putting girls at the centre of their own health decisions, we are giving them the tools to navigate adolescence with confidence. We thank the Government of Australia and other partners."

As time draws near for the Prime Minister’s XIII game, PNG’s Orchids and the Australian Jillaroos are geared up and focused on facing off each other in tomorrow's match at the Santos National Football Stadium, Port Moresby. Incoming PNG representative Orchids Coach Tahnee Norris said the girls have settled in well after coming in on Monday and heading straight into training. Norris said, they’ve had a couple of good running sessions as a team with both the PNG based players and the Australian based players getting along together and training as a team. She said a couple of girls playing in the Santos cup have been selected to wear the Orchids jersey and she is looking forward to seeing the ladies go up against a strong Australian side, to test themselves against some of the best players in the NRLW as they prepare for the upcoming Pacific Championship. “Its a really proud moment for me to be named as the Orchids coach. I know it's the number sport in PNG and I’m excited to be part of it and to see the growth of women’s rugby league over here and how serious PNGRFL are taking the women’s sport over here, it is really an exciting place to be and to coach the national side,” said Norris. Orchids captain Elsie Albert said, “It's always an honor to put on the PNG Orchids jersey and I am very much looking forward to this weekend's game.” Albert further stated that, preparations are going well with the girls and are ready and fit for this Sunday’s match, “I have confidence in the team that we have and faith in Tahnee’’s selection and we’ll see how we go.” Meanwhile, Australian Women’s Indigenous All Stars coach Jess Skinner will mentor the Jillaroos side. Skinner said, they had an early start trying to get the team to PNG and are excited to be in the country as this time of the calendar is an exciting time of the year and are looking forward to the match. She said, they have a couple of returning girls from last year's squad like Jaime Chapman and many are new selections. “We are proud to have women already on the international stage and it's always good to come to Papua New Guinea and see the Orchids and the PM’s team take the field, they have a great coach Tanhee leading them.” said Skinner. Skinner said this is the first time they have appointed a female coach and are happy to see more women in league. Jillaroos great, Kezie Apps, who plays for Wests Tigers, expressed excitement to be here and take part in the PM’s XIII match. “We love coming over here and I’m just really excited to play on Sunday and it's a great showcase of women’s rugby league and I think it's great what Else and Tahnee have done with women’s rugby league have done and it's so pleasing to hear that its growing and there’s more investment into the sport.”

Papua New Guinea representative coaches Joey Grima and Solomon Kuluniasi have named their representative sides maintaining their roles, selecting their squads for the upcoming Prime Minister’s XIII challenges against the Australian school boys’ and school girls’ sides. Both the Prime Minister's XIII Junior Kumuls’ and Junior Orchids’ squads have assembled in Port Moresby in the lead-up to the international matches taking place at Santos National Football Stadium in Port Moresby, this coming Sunday 13th October. Grima said last year’s narrow defeat to the Australian school boys demonstrates the talent pool here in Papua New Guinea. This year it’s an opportunity to see how the junior male players grow and learn from that experience. “The staff and I are so proud of the journey for these young men of PNG. The national pride these young men have wearing a junior kumuls’ jersey from all regions from Papua New Guinea and East coast of Australia is refreshing.” “Some of our players selected have never left their village or town and now they have an opportunity to travel to the nation’s capital and train in a world-class gym and faculty with the best available PNG players available.” “These players deserve this opportunity to play against the number one nation of rugby league. I’m excited for what Sunday will deliver and incredibly excited for my playing group and staff,” Grima said. Meanwhile, Kuluniasi expressed that camp was progressing well for the female juniors’ team. “The girls are connecting and getting better. A few bumps and bruises but they’ll get over it come weekend’s game. The staff are doing a great job also. A good culture is happening.” “This is a great opportunity for our young girls to come together - they are excited and looking forward to Sunday,” Kuluniasi added. PNG PRIME MINISTER'S JUNIOR SQUADS PNG PRIME MINISTER'S XIII JUNIOR ORCHIDS SQUAD Alton Nayep Becky Kambi Bradley Orosambo Benitha Paka Cedrick Kuli Deborah Kitipa Emmanuel Balio Ennie James Emmanuel Tembon Gail Manove Errol Gialom Fabian Kari Hadassah Isokali Finley Muno Jacinta Gerry Gairo Voro - captain Josephine Howard Gregan Format Joyce Hobert Hercules Kondo Rhonda Joseph Ishmael Vaieke Jared Horne Ruth Gende Joseph Kora Ruth Paul Otto Thomas Samantha Micheal Phillip Coates Shelina Pota Smith Pamundi Skylyn Sil Vane Manuma Tasha Storm Wendy Josh  

The United States (US) Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), launched the next phase in the United States’ 20-plus years of support for the prevention and treatment of HIV in Papua New Guinea (PNG), the EPIC Project. For the last six years, USAID has partnered with the National Department of Health (NDoH) and the National Capital District (NCD) Provincial Health Authority (PHA) to make the NCD a model district for the prevention, monitoring, and treatment of HIV. Under EPIC, this work will be expanded to Morobe and Eastern Highlands Provinces in partnership with the PHAs. The partnership will work with community-based organizations, key populations, and front-line health workers to support people living with HIV, fight PNG’s HIV epidemic, and address a crisis in vertical transmission. (Mother to child HIV transmission that occurs during pregnancy or at birth.) USAID Country Representative, Nino Nadiradze reaffirmed that the United States is a partner PNG can rely on in the fight against HIV, “USAID is committed to standing with Papua New Guinea to prevent and respond to the HIV epidemic.” The previous phase of United States support for combating HIV in Papua New Guinea - the USAID HIV Support for PNG project - was a six-year, $23.5 million initiative that contributed to the NCD achieving UNAIDS’ 95-95-95 goals for HIV treatment and prevention. That means that over 95% of people living with HIV in the NCD know their status. Of those who know their status, over 95% are on antiretroviral therapy (ART) and over 94% of those on ART have achieved viral suppression and cannot transmit HIV to others. USAID’s HIV support has also pioneered the integration of gender-based violence (GBV) services into HIV care with over 8,000 survivors receiving support. The project also launched the Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) treatment and the Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U) campaign, both of which significantly improved transmission prevention and viral suppression in the NCD. The EPIC Project will expand USAID’s HIV technical assistance to Morobe and Eastern Highlands Provinces to strengthen the capacities of the Provincial Health Authorities to implement their HIV prevention and response programs. The technical assistance will include enhanced HIV and outbreak data management at the provincial level, expansion of integrated HIV and gender-based violence services, expanded PrEP, and other targeted interventions.

While the other ‘Green Angels’ where out taking care and attending to patients, the National St John Ambulance Council marked World Mental Health Day on Thursday 10th October with a focus on creating a mentally safer workplace. This year’s theme, ‘prioritize mental health in the workplace’, highlights the importance of looking after their first responders’ wellbeing so they can continue delivering emergency services to the people of Papua New Guinea. To support this goal, two new initiatives were announced. The first is the creation of a peer support program, where staff can connect with senior colleagues trained in psychological first aid. The second is an initiative to make it easier for staff to access primary and preventative health care, including counselling and mental health services from the National Headquarters. These programs are a step towards making sure our staff remain healthy and ready to serve the community. On World Mental Health Day, we are reminded that good health includes mental wellbeing, and by caring for our team, we ensure they can care for you.

The Ramhaga Adventist Primary School in the Huhu Local Level Government of Alotau District, Milne Bay Province received a total of K10,000 worth of food and toiletry supplies along with four fuel drums this week. This timely assistance was provided by the Member for Samarai-Murua Isi Henry Leonard after requests were made to his office. Ramhaga Adventist Primary School is a mission school run by the Adventist Church under the Northern and Milne Bay Mission but has faced tough times from food shortages. Many students from Samarai-Murua district also attend the Ramhaga Adventist School in Alotau district, which prompted Mr Leonard to support the school. In recent years, the school has also been a victim of increasing law and order issues from sea piracy within the province. Food shortage has been the major issue that constantly faces the school; however, they continue finding help to keep the school running. Member for Alotau Open, Ricky Morris assisted in recent months with food supplies which have since been depleted and the school had to turn to the agriculture industry (As they refer to it) which are their food gardens that they have survived on for several weeks now before the timely assistance by Mr Leonard this week. Although the school is just an hour across the Milne Bay (bay) from Alotau town, it is in a rural setting where the challenges they face are similar to other rural schools within the province. In his remarks, Mr Leonard emphasized the importance in education for students and how critical it was at this period of the schooling year as students prepare for exams. He commended the teachers and students for their commitment and perseverance. “I am greatly honoured to come to this school and participate in assisting with the shortfall that we have in food supplies and fuel. I saw the reports and the request coming in and the need to support the school. The end of the year is critical as students must sit for their examinations. We are fortunate that our children can attend this school. This provides the basis on which we build our human capital,” Mr Leonard said. “I thank my brother Member for Alotau Open Hon, Ricky Morris who has supported this school. And for me to come here is the most honourable thing, given the fact that it is not within my jurisdiction in terms of electoral boundaries. “But that’s not the point, the point is that when you’re a leader, there are no boundaries. When called upon, anywhere and everywhere you must serve the people. For those that ask, we must give and provide,” he said. Mr. Leonard apologized to the school because he had put in a plan when he rolled out the drought relief supply program for his district earlier this year which also included the school but when the report came through to his office, the school missed out. So, when the request came through from the school for food supplies, he responded to deliver the food items and the fuel drums personally. Mr. Leonard made a commitment to continue to support the school into the future and also committed several solar streetlights to be placed around the school yard and two chainsaws to help the school mill its own timber to build basic infrastructure like teachers houses and classrooms. Ramhaga Adventist Primary School Board member and representative from the local Mission Lester Toukmai thanked Mr. Leonard and his team for responding to their call for assistance and said the food supplied was enough to take them through to the end of the school year term. The food items provided included rice bales, sugar bales, flour, tinned food, tea, salt, coffee, milo, noodle cartons, biscuits and toiletries such as bath soap, toilet rolls, detergents, laundry powder among other items. The school also requested two drums of petrol and zoom but Mr. Leonard gave extra two drums making it four drums in total. Mr. Leonard and his team travelled to Ramhaga on Monday evening spending a few hours with the teachers and students before returning to Alotau.