The township of Kompiam is located in the beautiful, extremely remote PNG highlands. Due to the high costs associated to get there, including flights for staff and boat transport for equipment (you cannot drive due to the dense jungle), NOPS outreach services to Kompiam are rare but much needed.
This month, Almah and Solo had the opportunity to follow up with Jack and provide some adjustments to his wheelchair, which he is still loving. He uses it to get between his home and school independently, something which he could not do before.
Between home visits to clients, scheduled with the help of Dr. David Mills and Dr. Rebecca Williams from the Kompiam Hospital, Almah and Solo have stopped numerous times on the road to offer their services to people travelling by foot. Almah, in her true selfless spirit, explains that “I just couldn’t pass by them without helping them.”
People like Sol are resourceful in fashioning their own walking aids. However, homemade devices can break easily and be uncomfortable to use, some may even by dangerous. Below is a before and after shot of Sol being provided with a new pair of crutches, which are adjusted to him specifically!
Almah has sent through lots of videos and photos to give us an insight into the trip and make us feel like we were there alongside her and the team. They have been crossing some very rickety bridges and driving through the beautiful jungle on very bumpy mountainside roads, but have reached so many people. We have loved seeing all of the images and we will be sharing more stories from the team on our Facebook and Instagram pages.
We hope that NOPS are able to do many more outreach visits to Kompiam and surrounding remote regions over the next year, so the clients they met on this trip continue to access needed services. Motivation Australia and our members will support them in their mission to improve access to services and change lives in Papua New Guinea.
Acknowledgements
MA would like to acknowledge Dr David and Dr Rebecca, and their team at Kompiam Hospital, and Almah and Solo from NOPS for working together to make this trip so successful. Thank you also to the Latter-day Saint Charities (LDSC) for the ongoing donation of wheelchairs and walking aids, and Wendy and Daryl Teague for their enthusiastic and generous support of NOPS services.