Easter Sunday, Give to the Sepik 

I was raised a Protestant, and from a young age it was expected I would serve, that I would be humble and that I would help other people.   I can’t escape that, the values in which I was raised.   My daughter has married a man, Christian Wright, who was raised with the same values, and who believes that serving other people is his highest purpose.   He has spent the last almost twenty years learning and working in often very remote communities, in emergency situations, and particularly with women and children.    He is a nurse; a male midwife and he told me two days ago that there is a terrible disaster unfolding in the Sepik province of New Guinea.  He has colleagues there who have asked for his help, so he is flying out of Seattle on Monday to assist.

Sarah David, from Living Child Inc. explains:

Volunteers from Living Child Inc., a not-for-profit organisation supporting maternal and infant health in the province, were travelling in the area in partnership with East Sepik Provincial Health Authority, to conduct an audit of health centres, distribute clean birth kits and provide training to volunteer birth attendants, when the flood began. This region is often referred to as the ‘second Amazon,’ due to its remote nature and lack of infrastructure which present significant barriers to travel.

The Living Child/East Sepik Provincial Health team were in the vicinity of Ambunti when the earthquake struck early on Sunday morning. The houses in this area shook and water tanks were destroyed, leaving the community without a source of clean drinking water. As the team travelled back up the river, trees fell into the water. The team distributed clean birth kits and menstrual hygiene kits to villages along the river – a 9 hour boat journey upstream from Ambunti. These kits ensure that that any women who are pregnant will be able to give birth as safely as possible in the circumstances, and that women and girls who get their period will be able to manage this hygienically.

Living Child Inc. are partnering with the East Sepik Provincial Health Authorities to support sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health during this State of Emergency. Local sources within our network have shared that there is an immediate need for food and clean drinking water, since vegetable gardens and water tanks have been destroyed…”

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday, a day for reflection, for atonement, and for giving.

We are all Homo sapiens, of the one species, and we do best, and we are happiest, when we care for each other.

Consider giving to this campaign this Easter, CLICK HERE.

Thanks for your generosity.