Background
In early 2013 my discovery of ultra running coincided with
disturbing information uncovered by my wife Ova in her home village of Miaru
(Gulf Province, Papua New Guinea): over the past year or so, from a population
of just over 1000, around 50 people died of tuberculosis, which is a treatable
illness. Unfortunately, the villagers didn’t have access to either immunisation
or treatment, even though the capital city, with a modern public hospital, is
just over 200 km away.
Until the 1980’s, rural areas of PNG had a basic but functioning
health system, where just about every village had an aid post staffed by one or
several orderlies, and every district headquarter had a health centre with
doctors. For more serious cases, provincial capitals usually had a functioning
hospital. In the 1990’s the system started to break down, the result of
corruption and neglect. Today, the Miaru aid post is closed, and so is the
district health centre, leaving locals with no option but to travel to Port
Moresby for treatment. Most cannot afford it. Tuberculosis is endemic,
sometimes fuelled by high rates of HIV infection, while malaria remains a
threat to the most vulnerable.
Life Skills
(PNG)
Ova and I joined forces with Chris Likeman, a New Zealand health professional,
we registered a charity called Life
Skills (PNG) and we started to network with PNG-based health workers and
with various organisations, including Medical Aid Abroad, World Vision and
UNICEF. Chris has been working on similar projects in Vanuatu for many years.
As a result, we have decided to deliver training in Miaru based on
the Facts For Life program, jointly
administered by UNICEF, the WHO and a few other agencies. The aim is really to
raise awareness about primary healthcare, or what people and communities can do
to improve their own health in the absence of doctors or medical facilities.
The key topics we want to raise awareness of (from the Facts For Life program) are
the following:
·
Timing
Births
·
Safe
Motherhood and Newborn Health
·
Child
Development and Early Learning
·
Breastfeeding
·
Nutrition
and Growth
·
Immunization
·
Diarrhoea
·
Coughs,
Cold and More Serious Illnesses
·
Hygiene
·
Malaria
·
HIV
·
Child
Protection
·
Injury
Prevention
·
Emergencies:
Preparedness and Response
To this list we would like to add one topic
outside the scope of Facts For Life: Exercise
and Active Living.
Our first workshops will take place in early 2014 in Miaru, and
will be based on a ‘Train the Trainer’ approach, whereby local people will be
trained to deliver workshops in their communities. Future workshops will take
place in other areas of the country as the program grows.
Fundraising
I have used every running race I took part in this year, including
the 250-km Big Red Run, as a fundraising tool for Life Skills, with individuals
and companies sponsoring me for every race I do. This will continue right
through to the Highlands event.
Although our initial area of operation will be Miaru, and our
initial focus will be on immunisation, we are planning to expand to other areas
of PNG, hence the idea of the Highlands 20/20 Challenge. The purpose of the
event will go beyond raising money, as we will attempt to raise awareness through
talks and meetings in all the villages where we stop (in schools or community
centres), as well as through local and international media.
The Highlands region is the most densely populated area of PNG.
Despite an abundance of natural resources, most people live in poverty with
decaying infrastructure and very few of the basic services most of us would
take for granted (functioning schools, electricity, safe water, health
services, etc.) However, unlike many parts of PNG, the region is connected to the
country’s main port, Lae, through the 800-km Highlands Highway.
The Highlands
Run
At dawn on Papua New Guinea’s 39th Independence Day
(Tuesday 16 September 2014), I will start running along the Highlands Highway
from its western end point in the village of Lake Kopiago (Hela Province),
aiming to arrive in at the Sir Ignatius Kilage Stadium in Lae (Morobe Province)
on Sunday 5 October, together with runners taking part in the inaugural Morobe
Marathon (this remains tentative for now).
The distance between Lake Kopiago and Lae is around 837 km, which
we will round up to 844 km to make it equivalent to 20 marathons, hence the
name 20/20 challenge (20 marathons in 20 days). Each day I will run a stage
roughly equivalent to a marathon, with accommodation for my crew and myself in local
villages along the highway, where the awareness sessions will be conducted in
the afternoons/evenings. Rather than the full Facts For Life program, the focus
of these sessions will be on exercise and healthy living, as exemplified by
running.
Throughout the event, runners from the local villages will be
invited to join in, for a few km or for a full stage if they are up for it. This
will increase our safety in remote areas and help make us welcome in the
villages where we decide to stop. If possible, a few higher profile runners
from PNG and overseas will be invited to take part in some stages, to increase
our exposure.
The
Documentary
We are also hoping to produce a full length feature film, using the run as a
thread linking together various aspects of PNG’s Highlands region and the
issues facing its people. On a cultural level, the documentary could focus on
the changes that occurred in the region since first contact in the 1930’s, as
well as on the cultural differences between the different areas the run will go
through. On a socio-economic level, we could tell the people’s stories, how
they survive in the current environment, with a focus on the health-related
issues we are addressing.
Risks
1.
The Highlands is a volatile region, with tribal warfare still
occasionally flaring up and frequent armed robberies along the highway. A
police or army escort will be necessary.
2.
Medical help may not be readily available in case of emergencies.
Satellite phones and an insurance policy providing for medical evacuation will
be needed. The crew should include at least one first aid qualified person, and
preferably a physio.
3.
The road may not be in good condition, especially in the first few
stages from Lake Kopiago to Tari, although it seems to be passable at the
moment. A sturdy, spacious 4-wheel drive vehicle will be needed for the crews
