Assisting female students by providing basic sanitary products.
Initiated by 22 Lasallian women who attended the Lasallian Global Women’s Symposium in 2017, Lasallian Women of Hope became a subsidiary of the PNG De La Salle Brothers. Lasallian Women of Hope (LWOH) developed with the primary focus of providing young female students with basic sanitary products. When it began the LWOH was providing sanitary packs to over 300 young females from many provinces in PNG including the Highlands and in the the city in Port Moresby. The initiative also saw students from government schools being provided with sanitary packs as Lasallian Teachers in PNG are spread far and wide around the country. However in 2022, it was refined to a smaller number of students from the 3 educational institutions linked with the Mission in Port Moresby; Sacred Heart Teachers College, Bomana, Jubilee Catholic Secondary School, La Salle Technical Secondary School. The the emphasis of the initiative now includes building positive relationships and accompaniment, along with providing the basic female necessities. Aiming for a wholistic approach in helping young vulnerable females navigate the economic and social challenges of life in PNG today.
On the 10th of September, 30 young ladies who had been identified by their female teachers, gathered together for a “Girls Day” out. They participated in girls talk, they were assigned a big a sister for the day, joined in team sports and of course a BBQ lunch. At the end of the day they were gifted with their sanitary packs. The Lasallian Foundation thanks our network for their contribution to this project and in particular, the Box Hill Golf Club who generously donated to this initiative.
When more funding becomes available the intention is to visit students in two remote schools, Karamui located near Mt Hagen and Jangit located near Wewak in the North. The hope will be in 2023 to establish positive and wholistic relationships in the three settings by revisiting the students and organising another “Girls Day”.
