UPDATE: Due to the recent unrest in the Papua region, we've been advised to change our expedition location in view of security concerns as well as difficulties in obtaining the necessary clearances to enter Papua. As such, we will be heading to Pulau Siberut to visit the Mentawai tribe (also known as the 'Flower People') instead. It will still be a mosquito-infested jungle trek with muddy trails so I'm still on the hunt for the best insect repellant that I can find on the market! =P

WOAM's press release on the expedition: https://www.womenmission.com/post/women-on-a-mission-to-visit-the-mentawai-tribe-of-sibeirut-island-the-last-shamans-of-indonesia 

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Dear friends,

Thanks for caving in to my endless cajoling, pathetic pleas, and shameless guilt-tripping into visiting this page to learn more about my upcoming expedition to Papua and the (extremely worthy) cause that I'm fundraising for.  (◍•ᴗ•◍)❤

So... what's this crazy Papua expedition that I'm going on and what on earth would I be doing in the jungle?  

In Mar 2019 (update Feb 2019: trip is now scheduled for Nov 2019 instead), I'll be joining an all-female expedition organised by Women on a Mission to hike into the thick mosquito-infested tropical jungles of Papua, Indonesia and spend a couple of days living with the Korowai tribe. The Korowai people are hunter-gatherers that had minimal contact with the outside world till the 1970s. They reside in treehouses on large stilts in the forests and their main diet consists of sago palms, capricorn beetle larvae, and animals that they can hunt.

We'll be hiking in swelteringly hot weather while being occasionally drenched by downpours, getting preyed upon by bloodthirsty mosquitos and heaven knows what other creepy crawlies, and camping out at night in the jungle. Not quite sure what we'll be eating there (please don't let larvae be on the menu...) and I'm praying that the online articles I've read about witchhunts and cannibalism are just scaremongering tactics... ( ⚆ _ ⚆ )

I'm not quite sure I know what I got myself into and there're moments when I wonder what possessed me to sign up for this. The thing though is that this is a challenge I have imposed on myself, which I have the luxury of physically and mentally preparing myself for. There are women out there in conflict zones around the world who are forced to face way tougher challenges on a daily basis with little to no support. These women could do with a helping hand in turning around their lives and thus, as part of this expedition, I'm looking to help raise funds for marginalized women in conflict zones.

How does this fundraising thingamajig work?

• The WOAM Papua 2019 team is looking to fundraise for  Women for Women International UK (WfWI) and I really hope that you'll show your support.
• All donations raised via JustGiving will be sent directly and in its entirety to WfWI. 
• The Papua expedition is entirely self-funded so nope, your donations are not going to financing my trip and neither would it flow through WOAM. Instead , I'm hoping to help raise awareness (and funds through all you kind-hearted and generous folks ( •́ .̫ •̀ ) ) for WfWI through this campaign. 

Why raise funds for WfWI? Who are they?

• WfWI is a non-profit dedicated to supporting women survivors of war, conflict, and poverty, providing them with tools and resources to move from crisis and poverty to stability and self-sufficiency.
• Since 1993, WfWI has helped over 478,000 marginalized women affected by war and conflict. WfWI runs programmes that work on both economic and social empowerment. Women who experienced extreme gender discrimination, poverty, and/or conflict/violence are taught vocational skills (e.g. tailoring, brick-making, or poultry farming), protection against gender-based violence, awareness of their rights, understanding of nutrition, sanitations and reproductive rights, and more. 

What can the money you've donated buy?

• £5 (~SGD9) could provide the building blocks of education: a notebook, pen, pencil and ruler for 2 women in WFWI's programme.
  
• £13 (~SGD23) could pay for enough vegetable seeds to cover 30 acres and enable a woman to feed her family and sell produce at market.
  
• £27 (~SGD47) could pay for Rights Awareness Training, so that a woman can learn that she is worthy of contributing to the decisions at home, including financial decisions, which may be traditionally handled by only men in the family.
• £33 (~SGD57) could pay for literacy training. When a woman learns how to read and write, she is able to run her business with confidence. 
• £80 (~SGD140) could pay for a bicycle, so a woman can quickly transport her goods, helping her grow and expand her business and become more self-sufficient.
• £156 (~SGD270) could pay for Men’s Engagement training, to give a man a place to explore gender, masculinity, and understand the benefits to families and communities when women are empowered.
• £500 (~SGD870) could pay for ten sewing machines, to enable women to set up a tailoring business and provide an income for their families.
• £3,000 (~SGD5,200) could pay for a greenhouse, for a woman to grow organic herbs to sell at market.

Every dollar of your donation can and will make a difference so please do give what you can. 

Thanks in advance for your kind support! If you want to find out more about the expedition, please reach out to me and I'll gladly talk your ears off about it! I'll also be updating this page as we go along so that you'll get to follow our journey.  (^__^)v