Children's Stories
JJ resides in Mount Hagen and is our first Links of Hope child in Mount Hagen to qualify for continued schooling to Year 11. We were able to pay for his school fees as well as provide his uniform, shoes and school bag to enable thIs to happen. We are extremely proud of him for this achievement.
Lily came from a difficult background, losing her mother at a young age and living with distant relatives in a community far from original home. She has lost touch with other members of her family who had helped raise her as a child. She was brought to the attention of Links of Hope by World Vision, a partner organisation and came to live in our respite home. She had not attended school for 4 years and this year has been able to enrol back in school and is hitting all her academic targets. In the last few weeks she has been reunited with her family, living locally, and now has the opportunity to live back with them.
Lotus was one of the original children on our Links of Hope child Sponsorship Program
back in 2013. We knew Lotus had moved with family back to the Goroka area in the Highlands of PNG and despite repeated attempts, including a local radio broadcast, to find her we failed. We feared the worst and knew nothing more of her until she was brought by a family member back to clinic in Port Moresby this week - she is well and happy and delighted to be put straight back onto our program and assisted to get back into school.
Earlier this year, Shirly's home burnt down to nothing but ashes. She couldn't retrieve anything, and lost all the school supplies LOH provided her with in February. So this month, our Pastoral Care Team in Mt. Hagen purchased her brand new school supplies, and delivered them to her. Her she is pictured holding her brand new school bag, uniforms and stationary. She is very thankful!
Thanks to loyal supporters
Our faithful founding Board Member, Nancy Moka, who passed away in March was a long-term employee of ANZ and then Kina Bank in Port Moresby. Since her passing her colleagues and management at Kina Bank have been in contact with Links of Hope and offered ongoing support with financial assistance to sustain our operational costs and salaries and a vehicle to facilitate our Community Health Education Program. We are beyond grateful for this level of support and humbly impacted by the legacy Nancy continues for our organisation.
Fisspotts Rugby Club have been a long-term supporter of Links of Hope and at the end of May hosted another rugby tournament to raise funds for our work and specifically support of our Respite Home. Links of Hope Social Worker Elizabeth Loko was on hand with our team to gratefully receive the generous donation and thank Fisspotts Executive Member, Andrew Bemau. We look forward to partnering with Fisspotts for our Community Footy Champions Project later this year.
Staff Profile
Shalom Jacob - Respite Carer
Shalom is our Links of Hope Program Officer and an essential and valued part of our team as she manages our Respite Home in Port Moresby. Shalom joined Links of Hope PNG in July 2019 - wanting a way to give back to the community. Since then, Shalom rapidly grew within the organisation and became further involved in data and project aspects. She has developed our health education programs and is a gifted team leader. At our Respite Home, Links of Hope focus on one-on-one quality support and provision for vulnerable children. Shalom appreciates this approach and its ability to make a tangible difference in their lives.
Did you know ...... there are 45,000 people living with HIV in Papua New Guinea, of which 65% are on antiretroviral therapy. Links of Hope are committed to supporting the UNAIDS goal of '90-90-90' - referring to testing, linking and retaining in care those living with HIV. Links of Hope work actively in the outpatient space to connect individuals into networks of support and ensure adherence to ART medications.
If you feel lead to sponsor a child for just K60 / $30 / £15 a month, please click here to get in contact. We have 12 children currently needing a sponsor, and you could be the answer!