The Mages Charity Safe House has received a vital donation of a generator from SWIRE Shipping, boosting its capacity to provide critical services for survivors of gender-based violence (GBV).
The donation, made in collaboration with the National Gender-Based Violence Secretariat (NGBVS), was officially handed over last Wednesday in Port Moresby.
It comes as part of SWIRE Shipping’s commitment to supporting the communities it operates in, through its Independence Committee initiative.
Mages Charity Safe House is one of 51 facilities identified in the NGBVS safe house mapping report launched earlier this year, which spans 17 provinces.
The Government’s Medium-Term Development Goal aims to establish 80 safe houses across Papua New Guinea by 2027, and support such as this is seen as crucial to achieving that target.
SWIRE Shipping’s contribution responds directly to challenges highlighted in the Safe House Report, which identified critical infrastructure and resource gaps in the country’s safe houses.
Department for Community Development and Religion Secretary, Jerry Ubase, commended SWIRE Shipping for stepping in to support the facility.
“This contribution will support frontline workers, like safe house operators, to better meet the needs of GBV survivors.”
“It is more than a donation; it is an investment in immediate survivor care that will have a lasting impact.
“It may be a small gesture, but it will have a meaningful impact in the lives of those we serve.”
Iain Stewart, SWIRE Shipping’s Regional Commercial Manager for PNG and the Solomon Islands, stated that takes pride in supporting the communities they serve and views the donation as a way to recognize the important work of Mages Safe House in assisting GBV survivors.
Accepting the generator on behalf of Mages Charity Safe House, Manager Ms. Monica Balakau expressed her appreciation for the ongoing support from both SWIRE Shipping and the Department.
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