(Mendi, SHP)
Today in Mendi, the Kumin Catholic Mission station has marked a significant celebration, in commemorating the 50 years Golden Jubilee Anniversary for the Community Health Workers Training School, since its establishment in the province.
A delightful crowd from all over Mendi gathered to celebrate this milestone for CHW with various singsing cultural groups from Hela, Enga, SHP and Western Highlands.
CHWTS was founded by the late Sister Gaudentia Meier who moved into Papua New Guinea in 1969 from Switzerland. Sr. Gaudentia came to Papua New Guinea as a certified practising accountant but pursued a career in the nursing field from general nursing knowledge, serving the entire Southern Highlands, including the five districts which was later separated upon Hela Province’s birth.
Since then, the Community Health Worker Training School (CHWTS) has been a communal support institution that has produced health practitioners who are then deployed to the rural vicinities in Papua New Guinea to serve and support in the health sector.