About Us
Shila Yukuli Paia
SoilChild Founder
2021 Recipient of Australian High Commission Women in Leadership Award
DrPH Candidate, Flinders University
MHID, BHSc, Cert.RGN
For full details on how my life experience showed the need for SoilChild, and its development, see the next page My Story.
How We Got Started
SoilChild is built from my own life story of growing up in poverty and gender based disadvantage including violence in all forms. I founded it in 2009 when I completed a nasty divorce in PNG from my boys’ dad. SoilChild is the big vision which is implemented through integrated education, comprehensive primary health care and sustainable livelihood projects. The charity organisation that implements it in PNG is called Women in Development Foundation. However, I am in the process of changing the name to SoilChild. We also have a board made of local leaders. I research and design the projects, write grants, fundraise and manage the organisation and projects from here as a volunteer.
Recent Progress
Since then, I have received over Aud300,000 in grants and donations. And completed a model library building, resource centre, shipment of biomedical equipment donated from the oRAH and started a poultry project with single mothers which is a success to this day. We have a partnership here in Australia with Fulcrum Aid Ltd.
Currently a 40ft container is packed with library books and ready for shipment.
Implementing Organisation
(see ttp://widfpng.weebly.com/soil-child-project.html).
WIDFPNG works in partnership with Fulcrum Aid LTD based in Australia, which auspices SoilChild in Australia for networking, fundraising, advocacy and management.
(https://fulcrumaid.com.au/projects2/three-plus-papua-new-guinea).