For decades, Papua New Guinea has struggled with some of the highest maternal and newborn mortality rates in the Pacific. Nationally, fewer than four in ten births take place with a skilled birth attendant, and this figure is as low as 20% in some of the Highlands provinces.

One of the most powerful protections for mothers and babies is giving birth with a skilled and caring health worker in a health facility. For many reasons this remains out of reach for many rural PNG families.