Helpim Mama Training: May 2026
In early May, the Living Child team made the long journey from Wewak to Yamen 2 Village, deep in the Keram region of East Sepik Province. The communities of the Keram Local Level Government area face a reality that is difficult to fully grasp from the outside. Geographically isolated, with limited road access and the nearest hospital in Angoram more than four hours away by motor boat, most women in this region have no realistic prospect of giving birth in a health facility.
Our Helpim Mama program trains trusted community women to be the vital first link between remote villages and the formal health system. They can't replace hospitals, but they can recognise danger signs, facilitate referrals, promote antenatal care attendance, and ensure births are as safe as possible when facility delivery simply isn't an option.
From Tuesday 5th to Friday 8th May, 72 participants gathered at the Yamen Church of Christ (generously offered as a venue) for 4.5 days of intensive, practical training. All nine modules of our new Helpim Mama manual were delivered in Tok Pisin, covering everything from the role of VBAs and barriers to maternity care, through sexual and reproductive health, safe birth practices, referral pathways, community problem-solving, and postnatal care of mother and baby.
Our facilitators Carol, Ruth and Sr. Anneth brought their deep expertise and heart to every session. Interactive methods including role play, demonstrations, discussion groups, and pictorial resources kept the learning grounded, engaging, and accessible for participants with varying literacy levels. And yes - babies were welcome in the classroom!
The 72 participants represented 18 villages across the Keram area, including:
34 newly trained Village Birth Attendants - a 42.5% increase in LC-trained VBAs in the Keram LLG
28 established VBAs receiving refresher training and replenishment supplies
6 Village Health Volunteers
2 qualified nurses
Five male participants - a welcome sign of growing community-wide engagement
At the graduation ceremony, one of the nurses stood up and said she had never really understood what VBAs did until sitting through this training, but she was very pleased to be part of the training and was ready to receive the VBAs. A VBA from Yamen 2 made a commitment on behalf of her group: "We will bring the pregnant women in labour to your health facilities."
That moment of mutual respect and shared purpose is exactly what we work for.
Friday's graduation ceremony drew an audience well beyond the training participants. The Angoram District Health Inspector, the District Health Information Officer, a representative of the Keram LLG President, community and church leaders, and families all attended to celebrate the new graduates.
The VBAs performed a community drama. New graduates received certificates, aprons (which serve as an important identifier and lend credibility in their communities), and supply bags containing notebooks, pens, danger-sign pocketbooks, solar lights, and personal hygiene items. Established VBAs received 150 clean birth kits and updated data and referral forms.
This single training event:
Trained 34 new graduates from 18 villages
Brought Living Child's total trained VBAs in the Keram region to over 114 from 30+ villages
Built on a four-year track record of VBAs assisting with 282 deliveries
Piloted the new Helpim Mama training manual for the first time — developed from LC Founder Sara David's peer-reviewed Masters research framework
Newly trained VBAs have been encouraged to work alongside experienced colleagues before practising independently.
The groundwork is laid. The relationships are built. The 34 women who went home to their villages with a certificate, an apron, and new skills are already at work.
Living Child is grateful to Lifestreams, Pegasus Legacy Trust and the McLellan Foundation for making this trip possible. If you would like to support our next training, please contact us.