Hannah Peart has spent the past 10 weeks living in a particularly remote part of Papua New Guinea.
She's on a mission to deliver vital healthcare and vaccinations to people living in the country's most isolated communities.
The Townsville nurse is part of Youth With A Mission, or YWAM.
Recently, the charity's medical ship deployed two teams of healthcare professionals — including nurses, midwives and rural healthcare students — to the island nation.
Ms Peart is leading one of the teams in the Western Province and is not sure when she will be back on home soil.
"I don't actually have an end date," she said. "I'm not planning to come back to Australia any time soon because, if I leave, it's difficult to get back."
The nurse says the number of regular vaccinations in the region had plummeted due to the closure of borders.
"We were visiting communities that had not received immunisations at all this year, not for a year and a half, because people haven't been able to travel."
The teams are collaborating with local health workers, Western Highlands Provincial Health Authority, PNG Sustainable Development Program (SDP), Australian Aid and World Vision.
In total, 5,200 children have received routine immunisations during the trip and more than 700 adults have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
While in the villages, the YWAM teams are helping to dispel myths around the COVID-19 vaccine.
"We got our second vaccination out in the field, while we were delivering the [COVID-19] vaccine," Ms Peart said. "There's a lot of fear regarding [the vaccine].
"So that was really helpful [to] get the vaccination in the field, in front of the community we were vaccinating [and say], 'See, my arm is still there'."
And while she is missing some home comforts, Ms Peart says she has received a lot of support from her friends and family.
"Feel free to send me chai latte sachets, that would be great."
