A mother’s short walk to end polio and tuberculosis

My name is Angela and I am 44 years old. I live in a village in Central Province that is a four-hour drive from Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea’s capital.

I have five children. My youngest child is four months old; he is the only one who has had all his routine vaccinations. The other four children have only had some of their routine vaccinations.

Before ChildFund Papua New Guinea came to my village, it was hard to get my children vaccinated. Our closest health facility is a one-hour walk from my home. If we are lucky they have vaccines in stock and my children receive their immunisations.

When vaccines are out of stock, the nurse refers us to the regional health centre, which is another three hours by foot.

I am not able to do the eight-hour walk to the health centre and back to my village with my children, so I just return home.

Since ChildFund began a maternal, child health and nutrition outreach program in my village, I have been depending on that for my baby to receive his routine immunisations.

I don’t worry about the long walk. ChildFund brings the health workers from the clinics to outreach sites in my village. I take my five children there.

I have been diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) and I am supported by one of ChildFund’s community health volunteers.

She visits me every day and encourages me to take my medicine. She says TB is curable and I have to diligently take the medication to fully recover.

She encourages me to go to the outreach services and get my children vaccinated.

The Integrated Maternal and Child Health project is supported by the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP).