Hailing from Kieta, Central Bougainville,Carolyn has been serving as a midwife at the Ruruvo sub-health center in Wakuna district for over nine months. Before this, she worked for three years as a nurse at the same facility after finishing her nursing studies at the Arava School of Nursing.
Her experience in the medical field led her to realize the importance of having more midwives to assist women during labor.
"As a nursing student, it was always my aspiration to become a midwife. After witnessing the difficulties that women in Bougainville faced during childbirth with limited resources and staff, I felt compelled to help" Carolyn said.
The commitment to the health and welfare of mothers in Bougainville touched the hearts of TotalEnergies' staff and executives, who offered assistance. Damien Roques, Managing Director of Marketing & Services at TotalEnergies, shared the same reaction as others after hearing Carolyn's story.
“When I heard about this young lady; the midwife in Bougainville, I was quite impressed by the fact that she had delivered twins with the light of only her cell phone. She also told us that she had to walk for hours before getting to the villages, for patrolling and emergencies. And naturally, we came to the conclusion that we could help her by giving her boxes of solar lights that give 10 hours of light, and this would help her in her daily work; that is once again, very, very impressive” Damien said.
Fabrice Brouard, TotalEnergies EP PNG Corporate Services Director, in his capacity as acting Managing Director further echoed these sentiments, stating TotalEnergies was very proud to receive Ms. Fred in their office and honored to support her activities through the donation of solar lamps.
“I was planning to apply for the alumni grant (PNGAAA alumni grant) because I am eligible for the grant so that they can fully establish a solar light at the facility because the labour ward is a standalone building; so that we have proper lighting, especially for the deliveries” said Carolyne.
"This will be the first lighting donation to the standalone labor ward I work from," she said. "While other donations have been received, none have been in this form."
Expressing gratitude for the donation to Carolyne said, "I am thrilled and deeply grateful for the generous donation of solar lights. Working in a remote facility without proper lighting has been a challenge for me, and this donation will make a significant difference. I hope that other companies will also consider donating in areas where help is needed, not only in Bougainville but also in other provinces. I am not alone in facing these challenges."
"This donation will not only benefit the labour ward but also assist us with other duties, such as patrolling and responding to emergencies in the villages. We provide care to patients both at the facility and in the villages, so this donation will be extremely helpful."
