I am a young Papua New Guinean woman who has been working in the development sector for several years. Despite this, I had never been tested for HIV.

Papua New Guinea (PNG) has one of the most serious HIV epidemics in the Pacific region. Approximately 25,000 people are living with HIV in PNG and 13,000 children have been orphaned by AIDS.

Infections rates are rising amongst young people in rural areas. To help combat the spread of HIV ChildFund PNG is rolling out Voluntary Confidential Counselling and Testing (VCCT) in the communities we work with in Rigo district, Central Province.

Being young and having been in a relationship where my partner had been unfaithful, I realised it was time I think about my future and get tested to learn my HIV status.

While in the field, I decided to utilise the VCCT service provided in Kokorogoro village by ChildFund. I was a bit nervous but I was encouraged by my colleague, Terina €“ from ChildFund Australia who was in PNG on a monitoring trip €“ and both of us went to be tested.

The VCCT service is very thorough and professional. When you get tested you receive both pre and post-testing counselling and the HIV test is done by a ChildFund-trained community health worker.

Now I know personally how it feels to be tested and also the feeling you get afterwards when you know the result. I was so happy to know my status.

I am relieved and am now looking forward to living a responsible and healthy life. I want to live a long life and contribute to building our nation.

An hour out of Port Moresby, Agevairu nestles among the green mountains of Central Province. Against this backdrop and fighting hoards of mosquitos, 20 health workers from across the Rigo and Kairuku Districts gathered for a capacity building training program aimed at detection and treatment of tuberculosis (TB) cases in rural communities in Papua New Guinea.

ChildFund PNG is partnering with World Vision, the National TB program and Central Provincial Health on the Stop TB in my Lifetime campaign. We are working to improve TB rates by training health workers in awareness and treatment, and assisting in upgrading health facilities in communities in Central Province.

TB is one of the largest health threats to communities in PNG. In the last 10 years, there has been a 42 per cent increase in the incidence of new cases, disproportionally affecting children. According to the National Department of Health, almost 30 per cent of reported cases affect children aged 0-14 years. With limited resources to address the epidemic, health partnerships are critical in raising community awareness, improving treatment adherence and assisting rundown health facilities in communities.

The Stop TB in my Lifetime training program has seen a marked improvement in health workers’ ability to detect and treat TB, and provided the skills to support awareness and advocacy in halting the spread of TB. For some, it was the first time that they had received specialised training, acknowledging that it would go a long way towards assisting their communities in detection and treatment referral.

Recognition and support for health workers in the harsh environment of remote communities is often lacking, with inaccessibility and lack of resources (human and material) placing a significant strain on workers. Inclusion in training programs, such as this, ensures that their dedication is recognised, as well as providing much needed support in the fight to stop TB.