A healthy start, a lifetime of firsts
10 November 2026
•By Emily Freedman
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A new chapter in PNG.
Helen* has a childhood full of firsts ahead of her. But before she can discover the world, she needs the care that will help her to grow up healthy.
At just one year old, Helen is beginning to discover the world around her. Her first words are still to come, her first steps are just around the corner, and there is so much ahead of her. Her grandmother, Mau*, looks forward to watching it all unfold. She wonders what will make Helen laugh, what she'll love doing and who she will become when she gets older. Most of all, she wants to be there for the little moments along the way.
Getting Helen the healthcare she needed wasn't always easy. Before healthcare became available closer to home, Mau had to travel up to five hours to get her granddaughter vaccinated. Carrying Helen in her arms, she would wait for a bus or truck to take them to the nearest health facility. There was no reliable transport. Sometimes the wait lasted hours. Sometimes no vehicle came at all.
But Mau knew how important those vaccinations were. They would help protect Helen against serious, potentially life-threatening diseases. So, despite the long and uncertain journey, she kept trying to get Helen the care she needed.
For many families in remote parts of Papua New Guinea (PNG), getting medical care involves similar challenges. But distance is only part of the picture. Health facilities also need trained workers, essential medical supplies and reliable funding to provide the care children need.
The distance between care and home
Across PNG, mountainous terrain, scattered islands and limited infrastructure make it difficult to bring healthcare within reach of families in remote communities.
The challenges extend beyond geography. The World Bank's 2026 assessment of PNG's health system identifies inadequate facilities, limited opportunities for professional development, the concentration of health workers in urban areas and unpredictable funding among the challenges affecting primary healthcare. With more than eight out of ten people living in rural areas, delivering essential services across PNG is a considerable undertaking.
The impact is seen in childhood vaccination rates. Children need several doses of a vaccine, given at recommended ages, to build protection against serious diseases. But in 2025, only 43 per cent of children in PNG received all three doses of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine, according to WHO and UNICEF estimates. And more than 127,000 children received no doses of this vaccine.
Behind these figures are families facing difficult choices and circumstances beyond their control. A journey might be too expensive, transport might not arrive or a health worker might be unable to reach a remote community.
One way to address these barriers is to take healthcare beyond the health centre, bringing essential services directly to the communities where families live.
Bringing healthcare closer to home
Today, Helen's family can access vaccinations and health checks at a health centre supported by ChildFund in Central Province, PNG. Nursing officer Daniel* is part of a team of 10 health workers responsible for a community of more than 18,000 people. Reaching families across such a large area takes more than keeping the clinic open.
"Some people cannot get to the health centre," Daniel explains.
That's why the team also conducts outreach visits to surrounding communities. With support from ChildFund, health workers can take vaccinations, health education, family planning and other essential services beyond the clinic.
"When ChildFund supports these outreach visits, our health workers can travel together into the communities and vaccinate the children," Daniel says.
These visits mean children can have their vaccinations, parents can ask questions and get medical advice closer to home. They also give health workers an opportunity to stay connected with families and better understand their health needs.
"As a nursing officer, their health is our priority too," Daniel says. "It is my priority to make sure that all the children and mothers are well taken care of."
For Mau, having the centre close means she no longer makes the long journey to get Helen vaccinated. She can take her granddaughter to the local health centre for the care she needs, while outreach visits help health workers reach families who live further away.
All the chapters still to come
When Mau imagines Helen's future, she pictures her granddaughter one day working to help families in their community.
"I'm hoping she'll be someone that can work in this health centre," she says.
It's a future Mau can only imagine for now. What matters today is that Helen has access to the healthcare she needs as she grows. Vaccinations, health checks and timely medical care may be just one part of her story, but they can make a lasting difference to her health and the opportunities ahead.
*Names have been changed to protect individuals' identities