Hello Karo Haltmeier and the Sepik River Dental Clinic Project.
At the Papua New Guinea Assoc of Australia (PNGAA) Christmas lunch in Sydney two years ago, I was fortunate to be seated on the same table as our guest speaker Karo Haltmeier. Karo, a Rotarian with the Kenthurst Rotary International Club is originally from Karogu village, a traditional village located on the Sepik River in the East Sepik Province in Papua New Guinea. Karo’s talk centred around her involvement with Rotary and drew our attention to their next project - to build a dental clinic in her home village. The budget for the project was an estimated $50,000.00 (AUD) and Karo was on a mission to bring that project into fruition.
The whole idea of building a dental clinic on the Sepik River in PNG piqued my interest. After Karo had finished her talk, I questioned her further.
This is her story.
Karo joined Rotary 2010 with a desire to provide her fellow (PNG) countrymen with medical, dental, and educational aid that would otherwise be unavailable. Her (ongoing) actions to realise her dream are a testament to her commitment to provide better health and education for her people.
In 2011 and 2013 Karo, along with support from Kenthurst Rotary International, the Vanimo General Hosp and the Education Department from the West Sepik Province, shipped 2x20 foot containers of educational supplies and medical equipment to Vanimo West Sepik Province. In 2015, her club shipped 1x20 foot container filled with educational supplies and medical equipment to the Port Moresby General Hospital, the National Library in Port Moresby, and the Terapo Mission Community School Mallalaua Gulf Province. In 2017, Kenthurst Rotary partnered with Digicel PNG Ltd and again shipped 1x20 container of books and stationery to seven schools in Bougainville. In 2018 Karo and her club joined with PNG based Oil Search and sent second hand textbooks (sourced from schools in Sydney) to four schools in the Gulf Province.
In 2020 Michael O’Connell (Kenthurst Rotary Club President) approached Karo for advice on a Rotary International funded project for PNG. After careful discussion, Mike and Karo decided on a dental clinic in Karo’s home village.
Michael has been in the ‘dental business’ for over 60 years. He has been instrumental in establishing (free) dental clinics in Nepal, Solomon Islands, East Timor, Balgo in W.A. and Sydney. He was more than happy to head the Sepik Dental Clinic Project.
Karo advised Michael that because of her connections (Karo regularly networks with many of the local organisations in PNG including the Non-Government Organizations (NGO) Project Sepik, the Governor of the Province, the Provincial Government, the Local Council, and staff at the local General Hospital) the whole project ie erecting the clinic buildings, assembling the equipment, transport up the river (by canoe!) of supplies, accommodation and food for volunteers would be relatively easy and trouble free.
My heart will always belong to Papua New Guinea. Even though I was born in India and have lived in Australia for a number of years now, I grew up in Rabaul a small town on the Island of New Britain in PNG. And though Karo’s project would benefit the people in the Sepik and not the people in my hometown, I still wanted to help in any way I could.
I offered to host a (fund-raising) lunch, with all proceeds donated to Karo’s cause. She was ecstatic. My aim was to raise as much money as possible and knowing I needed help, enlisted the expertise of my cherished childhood friend (former PNGAA events co-ordinator) Sara Turner.
On 8th October 2022, Sara and I hosted a cracker of a lunch. The lunch was attended by Rotarians, PNGAA members, friends, and family. Donations also flooded in from the Sydney Wan Toks and local businesses. We raised $2300.00, with the promise of more to come.
An article about our fund-raising lunch will appear in the March edition of the PNGAA quarterly magazine ‘Kundu’.
Karo provided me with an (estimated) list of items and equipment needed for the clinic. They are as follows; a dental chair, dental equipment (both hard, instruments aplenty and soft, gauze swabs and dressings), a generator and fuel to run the generator, and a water tank or two. Corrugated iron roofing, building tools eg hammers, nails, saws and drills. Toilets, showers, sinks, tables, chairs, and beds. And as all the materials will be ferried up the river in canoes, fuel. And that just a start!
Then of cause, the clinic needs volunteer staff, dentists, assistants, and admin.
To build a dental clinic on the Sepik River in the middle of mainland PNG is, at best, challenging. The whole exercise requires an enormous amount of commitment, dedication, and organization.
I am happy to say, that after more than two years of fund raising, the Sepik Dental Clinic Project is in its final stage of planning. Although at time of writing, are still about $10,000.00 short of budget.
However, in anticipation of their new dental services, the people of Karogu have started to build the clinic. Some equipment has been gathered, donated, and purchased and a shipping container made available at no cost to ferry it all to Wewak, the jump off port to the Sepik. Even the volunteers, including Sara and I, are ready to go. To note, Rotary will also provide books, stationery, and science equipment to the school in the village and supplies such as wheelchairs, sheets to the Wewak General Hospital.
The Sepik Dental Clinic will provide ongoing dental health for approx. 300,000 people who live along the Sepik River. It is the first dental clinic in PNG established to serve a rural population.
Karo’s untiring commitment in her vision to provide dental and medical assistance to her people is not only inspirational, but heart-warming as well.
There is still time to donate to this very worthy cause. Donations are tax deductable and can be made online.
Til next time