Femili PNG: trekking Kokoda for a cause

Posted on 11 October, 2018

The Kokoda Track is a gruelling multi-day trek covering 96 kilometres of muddy slopes.

Crossing streams and marching single-file through the humid Papua New Guinean jungle is a test of physical and mental endurance, but it’s one challenge a group of nine women have taken in their fundraising stride.

Lindy Kanan was one of those nine who trekked in September to fundraise for Femili PNG, an NGO that supports survivors of family and sexual violence. The trek took a total of nine days, as the group took a welcomed rest day to observe the local religious view of Saturday as the Sabbath.

“People would always ask, ‘How far is the next stop?’ But the team always says you don’t measure it in kilometres, because you’re just going up and down, up and down, and it’s muddy. It’s helpful to say, ‘three hours’, because the terrain is so rough.”

The group started with a goal of $30,000, which they have now flown past. With the contributions of recent fundraising, they’ll have over $36,000 in total to put towards supporting Papua New Guinean survivors of violence.

“It’ll go towards supporting our clients, specifically the safe houses we use in Lae, but sometimes you have to pay for accommodation. If the police officers know where it is, and the perpetrator is a police officer, then the [victim] will go into paid accommodation. For survivors of violence we provide them with whatever they need at the time,” says Lindy, Femili PNG’s Development Manager.

“If they’ve just left their house with nothing, we’ll provide them with clothes. If they’ve got a baby, we’ll make sure there are nappies. For their periods: sanitary pads – those kinds of basic toiletries while they’re getting established. Sometimes we need to relocate survivors to other parts of PNG. They might want to go back to their family, so we’ll cover their costs, their airfares, of any children or dependents that they have.”

The trek was particularly special as there were four Papua New Guinean women in the group, paving the way for more women with PNG heritage to break down barriers.

“It’s kind of leading the way for PNG women to do different things, to fundraise, to do things that women in PNG haven’t been able to do in the past,” says Lindy.

Femili PNG was formed in 2013 in partnership with the Australian National University. The NGO runs Case Management Centres in Port Moresby and Lae, the second largest city in Papua New Guinea, working with local family support centres, safe houses, police, and government workers.

The trekkers from Canberra trained on local mountains Mt Majura, Mt Ainslie, Black Mountain, Mt Taylor, Mt Tennent and Gibraltar Peak to prepare for the muddy track.

“I tried to follow a training regime which basically involved walking six days a week,” says Lindy. “On weekdays I started out just half an hour, building up to one hour on my lunch break. And then on the weekends, I’d do a bigger trek. Building up to the weekends before the trek, I was walking 20 kilometres a day.”

For Lindy, it was an especially poignant trip as she arrived in Port Moresby on September 3, 75 years after her grandfather did in 1943 to serve during World War II. When the group reached the centre in Lae at the end of the trek, everyone was emotional, least of all because they were physically exhausted.

“It was really amazing. They welcomed us with a traditional group. Some of the women were dressed up with shells and beads and playing drums. The staff at the centre all introduced themselves and a lot of them were crying. They were so grateful for] this group of women fundraising for them and they work that they do. It was very emotional for them and for us.”

Donations can still be made at femili-png-trek-to-protect-kokoda-2018.raisely.com. For more information on Femili PNG, visit the website.