Bougainville Besties Inc.
Current projects
Ear health and hearing awareness and training pilot
BBInc and Callan Services have developed a locally relevant reference manual on ear health and hearing care for Community Health Centre (CHC) staff. The manual and 11 otoscopes donated by BBInc will be part of a $2000 funded training pilot being undertaken by Callan Services officers who are currently visiting communities in southern Bougainville.
Outreach to teachers and Community Health Centre officers across Bougainville
We are currently seeking a Australian government grant to provide Callan Services with printed resources and otoscopes needed for teacher and Community Health Centre officer training.
BBInc and Callan Services hope to be able to deliver this training across all of Bougainville, including remote areas not previously visited by Callan Services. We will find out in late December 2024 if our application for the grant is successful.
Past projects
Harim Gut Mo pilot
A Bougainville Besties and Callan Services joint study was conducted in 2023 to better understand the prevalence of hearing ear health problems amongst Bougainville’s primary school students, and the impact of in-service training on teaching strategies to support students with a hearing loss in the classroom.
Participation by all those involved in the project was voluntary.
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Bougainville Besties provided $20,000 in funding for the development and printing of teacher training resources, otoscopes, a portable tympanometer and printer, scanner, 4-wheel drive vehicle hire and other logistical costs associated with the study.
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Callan Services officers generously made time in their busy work schedules to undertake the necessary travel, fieldwork and data collation to support the study.
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Teachers undertook the observations and adopted the teaching strategies recommended in the booklet as part of their normal teaching practice and provided valuable feedback.
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Teacher training in strategies to support students with a hearing loss in the classroom. For more information
Teacher training in strategies to support students with a hearing loss
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Otoscopic inspections and middle ear function testing with a Tympanometer to assess ear health. For more information
Testing of ear health of primary school students
Guest house for visitors after treatment
$2000 donation towards a guest house at Callan Services centre on Buka Island. The guest house enables people who come to their centre from central and southern Bougainville to stay overnight after treatment. For more information
Helping to improve power reliability
$6000 donation towards power back-up systems at Callan Services Buka and Arawa Inclusive Education Resource Centres. Unreliable internet and frequent power outages have a profound impact on their ability to deliver services and communicate. For more information
Uniforms for Callan Services officers
$2200 for logo embodied shirts for Callan Services officers delivering services to the community and BBInc projects.
Increasing awareness of disability services
$450 for pull up banner to assist Callan Services increase awareness of the services they offer to persons
with a disability
Projects needing support
Medical audiological equipment for the Awara Inclusive Education Resource Centre
Donation towards a audiometer and portable tympanometer for the Callan Services recently-opened sub-centre would assist accurate diagnosis of hearing loss and other conditions in central Bougainville. Currently ARoB only has one audiometer and tympanometer which are located at Callan Services headquarters in Buka.
Both audiometer and tympanometer need to be recalibrated annually outside Bougainville. This takes considerable time, so a second set of these instruments would provide
coverage in such absences.
Otoscopes of Community Health Centres
BBInc's funding priority for the next few years is sourcing otoscopes for ARoB's Community Health Centres along with printed teacher and ear health resources and their freight. Donations would be very much appreciated.
Access to affordable hearing aids
Callan Services in Buka maintains a small stock of affordable hearing aids. Donations towards hearing aids
are always welcome.