Patricia found Judy bleeding early in the morning. Pregnant with her third child, Judy had gone into labour at home in her village in Kivori, in remote Papua New Guinea (PNG).
She was a four-hour drive away from the nearest hospital, in the capital Port Moresby.
Her mother-in-law, terrified, sent for the nearest available help, and Patricia, a Village Health Volunteer trained to identify and assist mothers during pregnancy and childbirth, arrived soon after.
“I stayed for some time,” Patricia says. “Judy’s water did not break until 3pm and then her contractions started and she delivered the baby, but not the placenta.”
Recognising Judy had a retained placenta and therefore was at risk of developing an infection, Patricia immediately called for a public motor vehicle to take Judy to Beraina health clinic.
This quick diagnosis helped Judy get the medical assistance she needed, potentially saving her life.
“I was so lucky I went to Beraina. At the clinic the nurse helped deliver the placenta [using oxytocin], then she gave me some medicine and I stayed overnight,” Judy says.
“I was so worried and I thought I would be finished.”
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We hope you enjoy meeting #TeamChildFund!
My name is Olive Oa.
I’m the Health Programs Team Leader at ChildFund PNG.
My role involves managing projects, which includes assisting, planning, co-ordinating and reporting on projects. I also undergo budget management and supervise monitoring and evaluation activities to compile an evidence base to demonstrate the performance and results of projects.
I work closely with the project teams, particularly on the delivery and progress of the capacity building activities. My role also enables me to play a part in project designs, planning, trainings, coaching formative assessment of progress and follow up. I represent ChildFund at meetings and clusters that are relevant to the program and projects at the national level.
I’ve been at ChildFund since 2013.
My most inspiring moment at ChildFund was seeing how the health program grew under my initiatives. It grew from 12 villages to the whole Rigo district, then moved into Kairuku District and Central Province.
The things I love most about my job are participating in developing and designing projects.
