21/08/2026
📍Sandaun Students Equipped with Lifesaving First Aid Skills.
Sixty-nine Grade 9 students at the Holy Trinity Humanities Academy completed a vital basic First Aid training program on Friday, 14 August 2026. This educational initiative equips the next generation with essential skills to handle medical crises, stabilize injuries, and protect lives within their local communities. The training was fully initiated and sponsored by the Brian Bell Foundation as part of its community-based outreach. To deliver the program, the foundation partnered with St John Ambulance, sending dedicated training officers Junior Boi and Lorina Kulala to the Sandaun Province. The team spent several days in the region, which also included a visit to Vanimo Secondary School.
The core objective of this community foundation outreach is to build safer neighborhoods by targeting youth in school environments. By investing in young students and delivering foundational first-aid knowledge, the program ensures that teenagers return home as capable individuals who can confidently offer help during unexpected medical emergencies.
The young trainees at Holy Trinity underwent clear instruction covering a wide spectrum of urgent medical situations. The baseline curriculum focused on fundamental skills such as situational self-awareness, emotional control, and showing active concern when arriving at an accident scene. Crucial preventative measures were also emphasized, including strict infection prevention rules and correct hygienic handwashing techniques to stop the spread of germs during treatment. A centerpiece of the training was the standard St John Ambulance response framework, universally known as the DRSABC plan (Danger, Response, Send for help, Airway, Breathing, CPR). Students practiced checking environments for hazards, testing patient consciousness, calling for emergency help, and clearing blocked airways. They also learned specific signs for identifying severe dehydration and helping patients recover. The curriculum moved deep into injury management and sudden medical crises. Instructors guided the students through the steps required to manage severe external bleeding, apply pressure bandages, and counter physical shock. Crucially, the training covered complex injuries, teaching the teenagers how to treat severe burns, secure fractures or broken bones, and handle delicate spinal cord injuries where keeping the victim completely still is vital to prevent permanent harm. Beyond physical injuries, the training officers provided step-by-step guidance on addressing sudden medical conditions. Students were trained to manage severe choking blockages, respond calmly to acute asthma attacks, and support patients suffering from sudden seizures or fits. Given the tropical environment of the Sandaun childbirth assistance were highlighted, preparing students for critical situations when advanced hospital care might be far away.
St John Ambulance training officer Junior Boi expressed great satisfaction with the program, sharing that he truly loved visiting the province and deeply enjoyed the warm, friendly atmosphere in Vanimo. After hearing his kind reflections, the students of Holy Trinity expressed their immense gratitude to the sponsor, the Brian Bell Foundation, for providing them with this life-altering opportunity. Junior Boi also noted that Sandaun is officially the fourth province in Papua New Guinea to participate in this nation-wide initiative, following Province, specialized lessons on venomous snakebite management and emergency successful program deployments across Mount Hagen, Lae, and Kavieng.
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