Bringing Hearing and Vision Care to Remote Villages in PNG
In late April, a group from Callan Services set out on foot, climbing steep ridges and crossing rivers to reach villages tucked deep into Papua New Guinea’s Central Province.
Over the course of a week, the team visited communities in Mt Koiari—including Kagi, Daoi, Maraba, Milei, Boridi, and Naoro 2—offering hearing and vision screening, fitting glasses and hearing aids, and sharing simple health advice that could help prevent long-term issues. These were not quick check-ups in a clinic—this was care brought directly to people’s doorsteps, many of whom rarely have access to such services.
A Broader Vision
This outreach was part of the Callan Connect Project (CCP)—a two-year initiative led by Callan Services National Unit (CSNU), with support from the Australian Government. The goal is simple but ambitious: to make disability support more accessible for people in PNG’s most remote communities.
CSNU is PNG’s largest disability service provider, and its approach aligns with the country’s National Health Plan, which calls for a return to the basics: local, accessible, and community-driven care. That’s why Callan Connect equips local teams with the tools and training they need to deliver services that last—long after the outreach tents are packed up.
What It Takes
Getting there is often half the challenge. Teams walk for hours—sometimes a full day—carrying all their gear on their backs. Clinics are set up in schools, church halls, or any quiet corner of a village. There’s no electricity. No waiting room. And when the clinic’s done, everything is packed down again.
But the impact is worth it. In Daoi, a woman received her first hearing aid and quietly wiped away tears (first photo from left below). In Agulogo, a man named Rexford finally learned the cause of his persistent ear pain—a treatable condition he had lived with for years (last photo from left below). Others walked away with new glasses and a sense of restored independence. In just one week, the outreach teams served hundreds of people, with many referred on for further care.
Building Something That Lasts
While the outreach team worked in Mt Koiari, another stream of the Callan Connect Project (CCP) was in full swing in Kiunga. The CCP supports four regional centres—Kiunga, Daru, Buka, and Gerehu—each with a slightly different focus but a shared goal: to provide services that don’t just come and go.
The four regional centres supported by the Callan Connect Project - Kiunga, Daru, Buka and Gerehu
Veteran audiologist and long-time EARS Inc. member, Donna Carkeet, has visited all four centres, often more than once, to train and mentor local staff. Although the plan was to train a small group, the demand quickly grew. Teachers, health workers, and hospital staff all turned up, eager to learn. Donna adapted the schedule and focused on building skills that would have an immediate impact: how to use otoscopes and tympanometers, how to fit hearing aids, and how to improve clinic flow. The following photos were taken during Donna’s training sessions in Kiunga.
Alongside the clinical training, the team has also worked hard to reinforce informed consent and ethical practices—particularly important in areas where people might not fully understand the treatment they’re receiving.
Meanwhile, in Port Moresby, CSNU is building something more permanent: a dedicated audiology clinic that will serve the capital and surrounding areas. Led by Rainbow Apostol—an experienced audiologist and fellow EARS Inc. volunteer—the clinic will also act as a training hub for regional staff.
This clinic represents a new chapter: a sustainable model of care that can generate income and reduce dependence on external funding. It’s an investment not just in equipment and space, but in people and long-term impact.
Not Everyone Is Easy to Reach
Some stories stay with the team. In Boridi, they met a woman who is profoundly deaf, has never learned to read or sign, and relies entirely on her elderly parents for communication. A hearing aid won’t help her. What she needs is something more: protection, language support, and someone to advocate for her. The team has committed to returning, not just to check in, but to consider how the system might begin to serve people like better.
Steady, Faithful Care
Trips like these aren’t easy. Flights are delayed or cancelled. Equipment goes missing. And the physical toll is real. But still, the team keeps going.
As Donna shared in a moment of reflection:
“Take it in bite-sized pieces.
You can’t change everything overnight.
Look back and see how far you’ve come.
And don’t stress over the small potholes along the way.”
That’s the heart of the Callan Connect Project—step by step, person by person, community by community.
Looking Forward
Whether it’s trekking into the mountains, fitting hearing aids under a village mango tree, or training staff in the city, the work continues. More people are being reached. More communities are equipped. And more of PNG is connected to the kind of care every person deserves.
Yet there’s still more to do. One priority is raising financial support to build dedicated hearing booths—starting at our Port Moresby clinic, with hopes to expand to other regional centres. There’s also a growing need for donated behind-the-ear hearing aids, along with the tools and training needed to produce custom earmoulds locally. These may seem like small steps, but they’re the kind that make hearing care in PNG truly sustainable.
As we reflect on this work, we’re reminded of these words from the book of James.
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says...Whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.”
This work is not just about seeing the need—it’s about stepping into it. Every conversation shared, every volunteer hour given, every piece of equipment donated—it all helps turn compassion into action, and ideas into impact.