Context

In Papua New Guinea, the government puts just 2.6% of GDP towards healthcare. This significantly limits how much money is available for eye care services, making blindness and visual impairment frequent occurrences.
Community health workers are the cornerstones of the country's healthcare system. They provide primary care in isolated rural areas to most of the population. However, they are not trained to offer eye care services. With just 14 ophthalmologists in the entire country, health workers' skills urgently need to be improved so they can screen and treat eye disease.
 

 

Supported project

In 2019-2020, L'OCCITANE Australia and the Foundation supported Kokoda Track Foundation "Sight for Papua New Guinea" project. This project supports eye health training, vision testing and the provision of prescription spectacles for people living in remote and rural communities across Papua New Guinea. Thanks to an innovative testing technology, eye care can be administered by non-health skilled personnel including teachers, village health volunteers and other community members. 

This project enabled the training of 40 individuals in eye health, the purchase of three treatment machines and the screening of 300 adults.

Some figures

 

Budget in 2019 20.000 euros

Results in 2019 18.300 beneficiaries

History

Project supported since 2016

L'OCCITANE Australia and the Foundation have supporting the Kokada Track Foundation's project since 2016.

 

More information

"The training was very engaging from the first day to the last day. I am happy that this is the first training here in our place because we are always left behind when it comes to training for Community health worker's and Village Birth Attendant's. Despite the challenges of not having training, we still care for our patients, mothers and babies.

I have learnt about the eyes and the proper treatment for the eyes when my patients come to my clinic."

Okole Seka, a Community Health Worker at Salamaua Health Centre, where KTF has recently conducted the Eye Health training.

KTF case study 1

"I walked from my village from 8 am in the morning to 6 pm to be here at the beach. I have learnt some big things.

i am happy to attend this course and when i go back i will do a lot for mothers who are ready to deliver. thank you to ktf for helping us with this course to give us knowledge on working with babies and mothers for their eyes."

Membango Meteyam, a village birth attendant working in a remote village in the Mountains of Morobe province on the north coast of Papua New Guinea. 

Case Study 2 Membango Meteyam