By Adelaide Kari – EM TV News, Port Moresby
Winnie William is from Southern Highlands Province and manages almost 20 health clinics, aid posts and voluntary care counselling centres, which provide primary health care and HIV/AIDS services in the remote areas of Southern Highlands and Hela province.
She also helps by taking in women and men who have been totured following accusations of sorcery.
Thanks to her tireless work, Winnie has been nominated for the US Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Award.
Winnie says that she could of never have imagined receiving such an honour for her work.
At the 2016 PNG Women’s Forum she told her story of how she was accused of being a sorcerer herself.
She said that she has witnessed many come to her for help with horrific injuries, and at times has even been stoned herself at her very own clinic.
Her only hope for the future is that people will come to their senses, and that sorcery related accusation and torture would stop.
United States Ambassador to PNG, Catherine Ebert-Gray, said that this year’s nominee, Winnie, was well deserving of the award.
She added that she steadfastly placed her own life in danger to save other women from horrific sorcery-related violence.
Winnie received her degree in general nursing at the School of Nursing in East New Britain province, before later going on to complete her Master’s degree.
She is a wife and a mother of three children.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=c4HmqfWg_7g%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26wmode%3Dopaque%26showinfo%3D0%26showsearch%3D0%26rel%3D0
