September 2013

PAPUA NEW GUINEA : A WORTHY INITIATIVE

The article on the Redeemer Baptist School's program (August 2013, p.22) that aims to address healthcare, educational and lifestyle needs of the Barai tribe in PNG filled me with admiration for what can be achieved if people of goodwill band together in a mutually beneficial initiative. This is a win-win situation for all involved, as it demonstrates bridge-building between communities, enriching all participants in the process. The article outlined aims and achievements, which might inspire others to launch similar schemes elsewhere in disadvantaged areas. Congratulations to all concerned and to Sydney Observer for highlighting this worthwhile activity.

Dr Anne Sarzin, Roseville
 

Redeemer Students Volunteer In Overseas Medical Mission
August 6, 2013 by Russell Bailey

Last week the Redeemer Baptist School Principal, Jonathan Cannon, and seven past students from Redeemer Baptist School accompanied a team of volunteer doctors and nurses – led by associate professor Alice Lee of Macquarie University Hospital – to the remote Barai tribe in the Oro Province of Papua New Guinea, just north of the Owen Stanley Range.

Their purpose was to deliver vaccinations to the whole Barai tribe, in accordance with World Health Organisation and PNG government protocols.

Redeemer Baptist School has supported education initiatives in the villages of the Barai tribe for more than 30 years. Each year the school community sends boxes of clothing which are sold by the Barai Non-Formal Education Association to fund their literacy programs including Bible translation and health education.

Twelve years ago, members of Redeemer Baptist Church funded enrolment positions for Barai children at Redeemer Baptist School in North Parramatta. Four of these students have completed their secondary education at Redeemer.

Two of these students have also completed education degrees in Port Moresby and are now teaching at the remote Barai primary school in their Itokama village.

Last year, Redeemer students organised fundraisers which enabled the installation of solar lighting and power to benefit fellow students being taught by Redeemer alumni at the Itokama School – there is no electricity or running water in the Barai villages.

The other two Barai Redeemer students have completed vocational training as paramedics and have begun to contribute to health needs in the Barai villages. There are no doctors or nurses in the Barai villages. Medical help is about four days walk away through tropical jungles.

A few years ago, Professor Alice Lee was asked to treat one of Redeemer’s Barai students. This student’s mother had died at a young age in the village, just before the start of the school year, without any medical diagnosis or treatment.

The boy was heart-broken. But as Professor Lee began to treat the boy, she began to envision how she could help the boy’s tribe. “Everything has a purpose,” she said to volunteers helping to organise the mission, “and I believe that vaccination against Hepatitis B and other diseases may help to prevent such tragic circumstances”.

Professor Lee requested Redeemer’s involvement because of the long-standing relationship of Redeemer staff and students with the Barai tribe.

So the Redeemer team joined two doctors, three nurses and a paramedic on July 19 on a couple of flights into the Barai villages using missionary aviation. During the next week they slept in Barai huts, ate yams and walked up to 25 kilometres each day to key locations so that all the Barai villages could access the vaccination and general health clinics.

And the Barai helped them to take their solar powered fridge and solar generators with them, to maintain the cold chain for the vaccines and provide power for their portable computer medical records system. They delivered more than 3,000 vaccines in the week and provided treatment for numerous ulcers and infections.

On her return to Australia, Professor Lee said that she was already organising the next visit from the medical team to the Barai next January, and she was hoping that Redeemer would be involved again.

“The Redeemer young people were amazing,” she said, ‘”nothing fazed them, they were always on task, we couldn’t have done it without them.” In addition to assisting with general medical health needs for this remote tribe, Professor Lee’s specific aim is to help the Barai become Hepatitis B free.

North Parramatta's stellar partnership
    By Jade Wittmann - March 6, 2013, 5:30 p.m.

Science partners: Redeemer Baptist School principal John Cannon, astrophysicist Angel Lopez-Sanchez and science teachers Diane and Stuart Garth.

The planets aligned for students and staff at Redeemer Baptist School when astrophysicist Angel Lopez-Sanchez arrived as part of the CSIRO’s Scientists in Schools program, which aims to bring real world science to classrooms.

The partnership has fostered an interest in astronomy that has burned for students and teachers alike since the scientists first visited the North Parramatta school in 2009.

Meet the people involved.

Angel Lopez-Sanchez, scientist
Angel is a former teacher from Spain with a PhD in astronomy. He works at the Australian Astronomy Conservatory.

‘‘I was working at the CSIRO telescope national facility when they were looking for people to help with seminars in schools, mostly because it was the International Year of Astronomy. I didn’t hesitate," he said.

"I think that as a scientist it’s very important to communicate to the general public and to students what we are trying to do — about astronomy, what galaxies are named, the kind of research we are doing is, and why we are so excited to do that.

‘‘I am continuously looking ... between galaxies and trying to understand how these little blocks are forming stars from gas that is surrounding the galaxies, and how the gas is being recycled. At the end it will be able to form a star, such as the sun, with planets and life.’’

Diane Garth, teacher
A primary science teacher, Ms Garth said the students benefit from Mr Lopez-Sanchez’s knowledge and enthusiasm.

‘‘We were very fortunate to find Angel, because he did a lot of education work in Spain before he came to Australia so he’s used to children," she said.

"When we first met ... he said in Spain kids might see six stars because of all the light pollution.

‘‘That year Angel brought the telescopes from the CSIRO and he ran an astronomy night.

"I think about 70 per cent of the school came. It was the coldest night you can imagine; the sky was clear and it was just fantastic.

‘‘Angel comes in once a year and will give a series of talks.

"He’ll take the kids from kindergarten or year one and do the simple planets or the moon.

"A physics teacher was just thrilled because he did a fantastic talk on the electromagnetic spectrum, because that’s what he’s working with all the time with photography and space.’’

Stuart Garth, teacher
A year 7 science project inspired by Mr Lopez-Sanchezwon Mr Garth's class the inaugural NATA Young Scientists Award.

‘‘We conducted a very large investigation measuring all the suburbs of Sydney, how bright it is at night-time and the light pollution levels and comparing it to overseas," Mr Garth said.

’’We set up a database. We had a lot of nationalities in our class [about 20 in just one year 7 class] and they emailed their uncles and aunties.

"We would have collected 3555 light pollution measurements in two months.

"Of the 630 suburbs of Sydney, we did measurements in 506 of them. It was mainly a public awareness exercise [but] it really enthused the kids.

‘‘We structure our curriculum to meet the astronomical events.