The women of Papua New Guinea (PNG) face many challenges in their daily lives: from HIV/AIDS to violence against women; from rural sanitation to breast cancer; from Parliamentary elections to parenting. Priscilla Kare, General Secretary of the YWCA of PNG, is helping women to address and take control of these diverse issues.

Priscilla Kare, General Secretary YWCA of Papua New Guinea, speaks at Queen Victoria Women's Centre to celebrate World YWCA Day 2006. Photo: YWCA Victoria.

YWCA PNG runs a variety of programs aimed at empowering women to improve their literacy and life  skills, to become politically active, to gain better sanitation conditions in rural areas, and to protect their reproductive and sexual health. Speaking at the Queen Victoria Women's Centre on 4 May 2006, Priscilla said that the YWCA in PNG acts as a key advocate for women's rights and issues. She spoke passionately about several of the programs currently run by the YWCA, including their Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health program (ARSH).

The landscape of PNG undulates through a series of lush mountains and deep vallies. Although the island nation is relatively small (475 kms--not counting the neighbouring country of West Papua), villages are often separated by significant mountain ranges, and many areas are not accessible by road. This makes communication difficult, to say the least.

Ingeniously, Priscilla and her team at YWCA PNG have devised a way to ensure that youth in even very remote areas can access important information about their sexual and reproductive health.Through the creation of a very popular talk-back radio show, Priscilla and expert guests relay health information and answer questions from throughout PNG.

The program proved so popular that it has already resulted in a spin-off. Every Tuesday, YWCA PNG provides a two-hour training show, using the radio as a means of reaching those individuals who want information and who want to help, but who could not make the journey to a centralised training point.

Priscilla's work has also led to significant political involvement. She is often asked to provide advice to the Government and is running for her local electoral office for the upcoming Parliamentary election. Priscilla says that, currently, there is only one female MP in the Government, "and she's really the only [one] who does anything"! Obviously, Priscilla implies, PNG could use at least one more female MP.

Priscilla Kare spoke as part of World YWCA Day 2006 celebrations. Upon completing her speaking tour of Australia, she will return to work at YWCA PNG and continue her campaign for Parliamentary election, in the lead-up to the vote.