The 2021 Passage Application - PNG

Important Applications are now open. Due to the complexity of the expedition and the high demand, please apply now.

Cultural Immersion

As a participant in the 2021 Passage Expedition, you will take part in a very unique opportunity assessing sacred rainforest sites specifically related to womanhood, pregnancy, birthing, and/or postpartum for inclusion in future itineraries. Accessing these remote rainforest sacred sites will involve long-distance foot travel that may include swift river crossings, steep, slippery, treacherous terrain, inclement weather, potential encounters with hazardous plants and animals and generally rough conditions. We will have female guides and female bag carriers to assist us, but this part of the Itinerary is not for the faint of heart. Sleeping accommodation will be personal backpacking tent or weatherproof hammock, though the rainforest camp will include a bush material house where the participants, guides and bag carriers will gather for meals and conversation.

At the bush camps we will be hosted by women, however men from the villages will likely accompany us in order to hunt and gather firewood, etc. During our visits we will gather exclusively with the women to make sago, tend the garden, catch fish, gather wild herbs, food, medicines and cooking materials. Near each bush camp where we stay there will be a fertility, birthing or sacred feminine site and we will have ample time while there to share stories and develop lasting connections with the Kosua women. Village stays will provide more opportunities to share stories, play with children, gather together and relax after the rugged hikes and bush camp experiences. Our guide will be facilitating behind the scenes with the Kosua throughout the expedition to help create a positive experience for everybody and ensure village men/husbands do not interfere with the women’s group dynamics.

It is important that applicants are aware of the challenges and hazards of this adventure and what it entails, but we hope it will install a sense of excitement rather than foreboding. The geography and environment of the Bosavi area is rugged and to fully take advantage of the exclusive, incredible opportunity we’ve been afforded, participants need to be prepared to push their physical, emotional and intellectual boundaries.

Expedition Itinerary

Day 1-3:

Arrive Port Moresby international airport. Freshen up at the Grand Papuan hotel.

The team will gather together for the first time in person.

These first two days will provide opportunities for the team to acclimatize, build relationships with one another and take in some of the local culture. Priority will be given to going over preparations and team building.

Fly from Port Moresby to Mt. Hagen and transfer to MAF charter flight to the village of Fogomaiyu (2 hour of breathtaking twin-otter flight over pristine rainforest) and arrive to a warm cultural welcome in a Kosua Tribe ‘haus tambaran’ scenically perched on a small plateau above the mighty Kikori River.

Day 3- 14:

Daily activities will include:

· Participating in home visits to pregnant women and mothers and babies, observing treatments, asking questions and offering support when sought.
Check-in, discussion and sharing of observations, thoughts, and insights with the team.
Reflective time for journal writing and compiling notes.
Bush camping and walking/trekking to visit fertility, birthing and other sacred sites for women.
Time to share stories and develop lasting connections with the villagers and other members of the team.
Conducting conversations with indigenous women, young girls, traditional midwives.
Learning traditional midwifery practices through observation and listening.
Bushwalking to collect medicinal plants and observing how medicine is created with them.
Recording the traditional knowledge, practices and stories through writing and audio recording.
Observing and possibly participating in birth rituals or other rites of passage and ceremonies.

Overall team objectives will include:

Building respectful relationships through listening, and having an open, curious, non-judgmental attitude toward others.
Creating the foundation for the development of collaborative educational programs that will satisfy the needs of women and girls in the community.
Identifying common health concerns during birth, pregnancy and postpartum.
Identifying the hopes, needs, concerns, dreams, and challenges of village women and girls.
Holistic midwifery knowledge sharing that is complimentary and supports healthy outcomes of mothers and babies
Learning about the pregnancy process, birth rituals, rites of passage rituals (hopefully observe and participate) for the purpose of travel immersion experiences.
Recording oral histories and genealogies, birth sites, medicinal plant use, and other cultural sites of importance through a database of land maps associated with indigenous use on the land
Contributing to the empowerment of women and mothers to know and advocate for their health and birth rights
Contributing to greater awareness around women’s and mother’s health and birth rites at the government and policy making levels.
Contributing to the acknowledgement and recognition of the role of the midwife in larger contexts, ensuring the role continues and is passed down to future generations.

Day 14-16:

Travel back from the village to Port Moresby. One night in Moresby before our international flight.

Itinerary may vary slightly

Cost:

$ 5,995 USD

EXPLORE

NURTURE

REVITALIZE

The 2021 Passage Expedition will serve as an incredible first step for Adventure Midwives. Our intention is to take the module we co-create with the communities in Papua New Guinea and reproduce it in other communities across the world, such as the Amazon, Africa and Siberia, according to each communities needs. Our aim is to have collaborative initiatives in midwifery and cultural land mapping that will help to support the following outcomes:

Holistic midwifery knowledge sharing that is complimentary and supports healthy outcomes of mothers and babies

Recording oral histories and genealogies, birth sites, medicinal plant use, and other cultural sites of importance through a database of land maps associated with indigenous use on the land

The acknowledgement and recognition of the role of the midwife in larger contexts, ensuring the role continues and is passed down to future generations

Protection of indigenous women’s birthing rights and access to culturally sensitive care that respects language, culture and customs while minimizing risks of institutionalized violence in the face of contact with outside authority and medical systems.

Empowerment of women and mothers to know and advocate for their health and birth rights, while contributing to greater awareness around these rites at the government and policy making levels.

Step 1 of 3

The expedition will commence in October 2021, and will be 16 days in length. It will consist of a team of twelve including an expedition leader, four midwives, a local guide/interpreter, a team coordinator and a film-maker. The expedition will take us through challenging terrain to meet with the communities who live closely linked to their natural environment and according to their traditional beliefs, which can be likened to animism. After arriving at a community and meeting with leaders and midwives we will begin the process of talking, listening, sharing and learning how to work together so to create long term relationships and programs that serve the unique needs of the women and mothers in the community. We will camp in each of the three villages and be taken to birthing ritual sites and other sacred sites of importance for women, while having an opportunity to speak with and learn from midwives, mothers, girls and men in the community. Never before has this kind of research been conducted in these communities, and the opportunity represents a great step forward for research into women’s health and midwifery practice.

Before applying, we urge you to consider the following.
- Does your work experience match with and fulfill the expedition title and requirements?
- What do you personally hope to gain from this expedition in terms of your personal development and career aspirations?
- What are your credentials to be a true Adventurous Midwife Explorer?
- Do you enjoy working with others as part of a team to solve problems and accomplish objectives?
- Are you confident in your physical abilities in facing the physical challenges required of this expedition such as (but not limited to) hiking/trekking in tropical rainforest, bush camping and bush hygiene and sanitary facilities, unexpected weather conditions, exposure to different foods, plants, animals and insects, etc.
Please read our introduction, guidelines and eligibility criteria on the following few pages before you complete this application form. If you have any difficulties with applying for this award online please contact us at: [email protected]
Please complete the following.
You will have the option of saving your form if you wish to complete it at a later time.
Full Name*
Specialisation*
Date Of Birth
Date Format: MM slash DD slash YYYY
Address
Street Address Address Line 2 City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code Country
Email
Phone

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Please use this check list to ascertain your eligibility as part of a Midwife Explorer Team:
This is an expedition not a guided tour or a travel holiday. We will be starting from scratch with these communities, and adapting as we go in the process, and there will be challenges to face. However, if you are looking to experience the real deal, and the possibility of a life changing experience, this could be the trip of a lifetime for you.
APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY
1. Must be aged 18 and over at time of application.
2. Applications are available for women only. In the communities where we operate, there are strict cultural taboos which limit the involvement of males within the women’s society, in the sharing of women’s stories and knowledge, performed rituals, and midwifery visits and birthing. In order to be culturally sensitive and respectful to the local culture and values applications will be accepted from women only. Please visit our core values which include addressing cultural sensitivities.
3. Excellent physical health is required for travel of this nature. (do you suffer from physical injuries that would prevent you from hiking/trekking, bush camping, etc.
4. Clean health record: it is of utmost importance that we do everything we reasonably can to protect the health and safety of the tribes we visit as well as the members of our team. If an applicant has a communicable illness, they must make us aware of the nature of their illness. If the nature of the illness is deemed acceptable for this expedition, the participant must take extraordinary precautions to limit their physical contact with the tribe.
5. Applicants must be able to clearly demonstrate how they will contribute to the project’s and expedition’s overall success.
6. Applicants will be required to show their work credentials to date and demonstrate how past experiences have prepared them for the complexity and commitment required of team members on this expedition.
7. Applicants must have experience in planning and leading successful midwifery projects or humanitarian work.
8. Applications from all nationalities are welcome, however applications must be submitted in English, and applicants must have a proficient level of speaking English.
Applicants must be willing and able to commit to the following to be a part of the expedition:
Pre-Travel & Preparation:
- Regular meetings via Skype before the expedition to discuss all logistics and each team member’s responsibilities.
- Working collaboratively with the team, and with the other midwives to establish research questions, possible care plans for a community, as well as list and gather field equipment that may be an important part of care.
- Continue to meet and work together via Skype and email to weigh in on decision making processes and draft and edit post expedition materials.
- Drawing on your expedition experience to contribute to the creation of the organization’s future expeditions, programs and projects with communities.
- Keeping an eExpedition Journal, and sharing your journal, personal experiences and work in the field with the team, as well as with larger audiences through the website and other media platforms used by Adventure Midwives.
The Expedition:
- Practice active listening with team members and villagers.
- Provide thoughts and suggestions and work as a team in problem solving.
- Aim to provide value and benefit to the host country or to local communities.
- Conduct oneself in an ethical manner.
- Work collaboratively with the team and other midwives through all stages of the expedition.
- Bring your highest level of experience and professionalism and all your skills to observe and participate in check-ups with mothers to be, mothers and their infants.
- Bring all of your midwifery knowledge, experience, terminology and dialogue skills to conversations with the team, and the community we are working with in order to address needs, issues, and concerns, and to assist in building the organization’s foundational programs.
- Be curious, open and willing to listen first to indigenous women, and observe the indigenous midwives in their practices.
- Learn from and synthesize your experiences and the knowledge you are encountering on the expedition.
- Be flexible and un-attached to your own goals and idealized outcomes.
- Conduct conversations with indigenous women, young girls, traditional midwives.
- Learn about the communities pregnancy processes, birth rituals, and rites of passage rituals through every opportunity that is offered to observe or participate.
- Learn the traditional midwifery practices, observation how the midwives work and take thorough notes or documentation.
- Bushwalking to collect medicinal plants observe how they make their medicines.
- Identify and note common health concerns during birth, pregnancy and postpartum.
- Help create a foundation for the development of educational program that will satisfy the needs of women and girls in these communities and for future expeditions in other regions.
- Participate in home visits when permitted to do so by the local midwives and women being seen, offering support and complimentary knowledge or practices.
Post Expedition:
- Continue to meet and work together via Skype and email to weigh in on decision making and draft and edit post expedition materials.
- Drawing on your expedition experience to contribute to the creation of the organization’s future expeditions, programs and projects with communities.
- Expedition Journal, share your personal experience and work in the field (midwifery journals).
- Give your consent and be willing to be interviewed, photographed, and filmed for the purposes of creating a short documentary about the expedition which will be seen internationally at film festivals.
- Give your consent to appear in film, photographs, and related material for the promotion and publicity of this expedition and for future expeditions organizations, its sponsors and affiliates which may use your image in press releases, on the web, social media, print channels and other related media sources and productions.
Applicants must acknowledge the following. A binding agreement will be signed upon approval.
Individuals participate at their own risk in expeditions run by Adventurous Midwives (AM). AM cannot be held responsible for any mishap to such individuals. AM cannot take responsibility for the consequences of strikes, war, sickness, quarantine, government action or other ‘force majeure’ circumstances on any expedition which AM may run. Expeditions may involve exposure to elements of risk, challenge and adventure greater than those normally encountered in everyday life. Expeditions often take place in remote areas where medical or rescue facilities may not be immediately available. Individuals taking part in an expedition agree to accept such circumstances and any repercussions resulting from such circumstances. Such individuals will not hold AM, its trustees, supporters and donors, employees, partners or agents liable for any loss, damage, personal injury, delay or expense suffered or incurred by them. Those on an expedition acknowledge that they are responsible to make themselves aware in regard to the safety of the countries and areas in which they may be travelling and to make their decisions and preparations accordingly. Nothing in this disclaimer shall limit or exclude AM liability for death or personal injury caused by its negligence. All participants in expeditions run by AM shall hold adequate insurance with reputable insurers to cover all elements of the expedition. Confirmation of insurance must be given to AM prior to the expedition departure. Participants must consent to be photographed, filmed and interviewed during the expedition and for the footage / photos to be used on the expedition film, web, social media and printed channels. Members of the expedition cannot use the expedition findings for personal use. All findings (recordings, interviews, photography, videos, midwifery diaries, adventurous midwives series,) will be owned by adventurous midwives. To use any of the above, a permit must be obtained through the organization.
If you are confident that you meet our Adventurous Midwives Application Criteria, please fill in the application form on the next page. We look forward to hearing from you!

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APPLICATION QUESTIONS

Below, you will find the application questions. You can save the form for later completion by clicking the Save for later button.
What draws you to this adventure and why do you think you would be the perfect fit for our exploratory expedition?
What would you wish to learn about midwifery practice from the Kosua?
Do you have any previous experience volunteering/working independently with minorities?
What kinds of collaborations and programs do you see benefiting these villages?
How do you see the role of the midwife in the pregnancy, birth and postpartum stages?
Tell us about a time when you had to work with a team to meet a challenge, and what you learned from the experience.
What would you most like to gain from this expedition and what would you most like to give to this expedition?
Educational summary
Qualifications
Current employer and job position or course and educational establishment
Name
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

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The 2021 Passage Application - PNG

Cultural Immersion

Expedition Itinerary

Day 1-3:

Day 3- 14:

Daily activities will include:

Overall team objectives will include:

Day 14-16:

Cost:

Terms And Conditions

Fee Structure

Terms

Trip Payments

Cancellations

Questions About Your Payment?

EXPLORE

NURTURE

REVITALIZE

Step 1 of 3

Before applying, we urge you to consider the following.

Please complete the following.

Please use this check list to ascertain your eligibility as part of a Midwife Explorer Team:

Applicants must be willing and able to commit to the following to be a part of the expedition:

Applicants must acknowledge the following. A binding agreement will be signed upon approval.

If you are confident that you meet our Adventurous Midwives Application Criteria, please fill in the application form on the next page. We look forward to hearing from you!

APPLICATION QUESTIONS