Saving lives in Papua New Guinea
Working with the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) and our local partners in Papua New Guinea we are working to to build the capacity of clinicians (from grassroots local health workers through to surgeons) in Advanced Paediatric Life Support.
These clinicians will be able to save the lives of children who are in a critical condition following an accident, illness or rapid decline post-surgery. They will be able to save the lives of children who currently would not make it. This project will directly impact the child mortality rate.
In 2023, three courses were run, training 64 clinicians in Advanced Paediatric Life Support. These clinicians treat up to 2,000 children each year. These are surgeons, A&E doctors, nurses, midwives and even paramedics.
By up-skilling health workers, the Today Tomorrow Project will directly impact the child mortality rate in PNG.
This project is entirely funded thanks to our partner, the Australian Communities Foundation.
Saving lives in Samoa
In 2023, the Samoan government reached out to Children First as they have no paediatric surgeons on the island nation. All children requiring surgery had to go overseas. Children First was keen to help, but the surgical load of an entire nation was too much to bring to Australia under our care. A new solution was needed.
In 2024, teaming up with highly skilled Australian and New Zealand surgeons volunteering their skills and RACS, 29 children were assessed, 23 undertook surgical procedures and 18 accessed life-changing and even life-saving surgical care in Samoa. Not only that, but a Samoan surgical registrar, anaesthesia registrar and theatre team also accessed essential training and will receive ongoing mentoring to enable them to meet the needs of Samoan children in the future.
In Samoa, The Today Tomorrow Project will save lives today and tomorrow in Samoa.
This project is funded thanks to Kiwanis Australia.
Support the Today Tomorrow Project
If you would specifically like to support the Today Tomorrow Project, please contact us directly ([email protected]). We’d love to hear from you!