An additional 63 people are now licensed facilitators for the Complete Health Improvement Program (CHIP) in the Papua New Guinea Union Mission (PNGUM). Adventist pastors and Baptist church members are among them.
Thirty-three were trained at Mt Hagen, Western Highlands, while 30 were trained in Kokopo, East New Britain, from June 6 to 16.
At the end of their training the facilitators say they plan to run training in their local churches and communities.
Sydney-based CHIP director Dr Paul Rankin conducted the training with assistance from PNGUM health director Gad Koito.
Mr Koito said the training allows church workers, including leaders and others, to conduct the CHIP program for churches and communities.
“The reason for this training is basically to strengthen the Church’s capacity to address the rising incidence of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, heart diseases and cancer that have caused many deaths of Church employees and community members as well,” Mr Koito said. “The other reason is to help the Church reach out to the community using CHIP as a health tool to share God’s love, helping people to realise that their body is the temple of God and that we are accountable to Him in the way we take care of our body, which is His. We are not our own.”
The training was funded by the South Pacific Division Comprehensive Health budget allocated for PNGUM this year.
