Papua New Guinea Update
We have finally managed to enroll both students from Papua New Guinea in the TAFE NSW Diploma of Audiometry. These two students are Community Health Workers who currently train others in the PNG for Primary eye and ear health care. The idea is that when they get their Diploma that they will not only be able to see patients but that they will be able to assist in teaching and developing a course in the country. At present there are no audiologists in PNG for their 8.4 million people.
Jane and Desmond, the two students, work for our partner organization Callan Services for persons with Disabilities. They have 19 resource centres around PNG that offer eye and ear screening services. We met at the Wewak office. Wewak area has a population of around 87000 people and the Callan clinic is the only ear clinic in Wewak.
Wewak town is beautiful set on the coast, but as with most of PNG there is little in the way of services and there are always safety concerns. When I am in Wewak I stay with the Mercy sisters in their complex inside the Divine word university campus, which is also where the clinic, National office and many staff homes for Callan is situated. This adds a level of security compared to being in the town. I did manage to see the town on this trip for a couple of hours, last trip I did not even see it. One of the challenges of Papua New guinea is the remoteness of each region. Most major towns such as Wewak are only accessible by air and domestic airfares are expensive.
Before coming to Wewak I was meeting with the students online to plan their studies. These few meetings have highlighted some of the expected technical difficulties with online tele conferencing with the students. We are organizing equipment and volunteers for this program to mentor and train these two students who will become the future trainers in PNG.Our partner organization is raising the funds to support these students in their studies but EARS Inc will need to raise support for trips it will take to support them in their studies with supervision and mentoring.
