Mendi Latent Phase Bed Project - Highlands Foundation partnership

It all started when…

The Rotary PNG Midwifery Leadership Buddy Program aims to create mutually beneficial relationships between an Australian and Papua New Guinea midwife. The Rotary Club of Morialta and a volunteer Committee initiated and manage the Leadership Buddy project. The Australian College of Midwives is one of several partners in this Rotary initiative by aiding the writing of the curriculum for the project. The design of the buddy system is to enable the midwives to create a project together to benefit and support pregnant and birthing women in Papua New Guinea. OUr VIce Presidnet, Ann Hallett partnerd with Midwife Veronica Hondina to support her project delvopment.

Midwife buddy Veronica Hondina, The Southern Highlands Province Society of Midwifery President and Midwife in Charge of Mendi Hos- pital Maternity Unit, identified there is a need for mothers in early labour to have a place to stay close to the hospital. This need is due to the number of mothers birthing on their way back to Mendi Hospital in The Southern Highlands of Papua New Guinea when they have been sent home "not in labour". Consequences do not benefit mothers and their infants as they sometimes inadvertently give birth unsupervised while walking back to the Mendi General Hospital.

Veronica called this project The Mendi Latent Labor Phase Space. Veronica used her existing relationships with Key Professionals in her organisation to secure eight beds at the Mendi Hospital for early labour. Ann and Veronica wrote up a timeline for the project. They worked out the consumables needed to ensure that The Southern Highlands Women could receive Safe Maternity Care while waiting for their babies to arrive. Ann contacted The Highlands Foundation and Rotary Club of Moriata requesting assistance to fund The Mendi Latent Labor Phase Space.

The Highlands Foundation committed to assisting this project anddonated $ 5,000.