Brisbane Trivia Night 2024: Celebrating Femili PNG’s 10th Anniversary

An update on our trivia night

A big thank you to everyone who joined us at our trivia night on Friday 28th June 2024! Over 90 people purchased tickets to the event, and together raised over $5,600 to support Femili PNG’s life-changing work. The trivia night was a wonderful opportunity to bring together our support community in Brisbane and celebrate Femili PNG’s 10th anniversary.

A special thank you to Murray Henman for graciously hosting the trivia. His creative trivia questions and games turned the event into an exciting night, and we really appreciate all the support he gave in the weeks leading up to the event.

We would also like to thank Mehere Maladina and Fiona Gunn, who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to plan and run a successful night. We could not have done it without their support!

Celebrating Femili PNG’s 10th Anniversary

Tackling family and sexual violence in Papua New Guinea is complex. Survivors need support accessing safe accomodation, medical assistance, law and justice interventions, financial and vocational resources, and more. Community leaders need training to deliver services; and families need education to address violence in their day-to-day lives.

Navigating the complex care and justice systems can be challenging for survivors to do on their own. Born out of a Médecins Sans Frontières project at the Angau Hospital Family Support Centre in Lae, Femili PNG was established in 2013 to help survivors access assistance from the many different service providers. They were the first Papua New Guinean organisation to take a case management approach to supporting survivors of violence.

When a survivor first comes in contact with Femili PNG, a trained caseworker will work with them to determine their personal goals – whether it be to transfer to safe accommodation, file a police report, access medical care, take out a protection order, or seek a child welfare intervention. The caseworker then assists them to achieve these goals through a series of follow-up consultations, both with the client and any relevant, complementary, service providers. Survivors are empowered to make decisions relating to their own well-being and safety, with caseworkers assisting them and advocating for their rights within the system.

Since welcoming their first client on 25th July 2014, Femili PNG has assisted over 6,700 survivors of family and sexual violence to access the care they need. Their organisation has grown from just 7 staff in Lae to 61 staff across three locations. Services expanded to Port Moresby in 2018 under the Bel isi PNG initiative, where they also operate a safe house; and to Goroka in 2021 after noticing an increasing number of survivors travelling to access services.

In addition to providing case management assistance, Femili PNG undertakes extensive outreach to raise awareness about family and sexual violence and what help is available. They train community leaders on how to effectively support survivors in locations they can’t reach directly; and collaborate closely with other service providers to enhance their impact.

It was great to see so many smiling faces joining us to commemorate Femili PNG’s 10th anniversary at our trivia night. All the funds raised on the night will support Femili PNG’s work with survivors of family and sexual violence in PNG.

Sponsors and Supporters

A big thank you to all the wonderful businesses and individuals who are sponsoring prizes for our event, and supporting us on the night.