KOIA, Suzanne Lynn
W999830, Major, Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps
CITATIONNew Zealand Distinguished Service DecorationNew Year Honours List 2011Major CARTER (then in the rank of Captain), deployed to Afghanistan in August 2009 as the Nursing Officer with the New Zealand ProvincialReconstruction Team. Early in her deployment, she learned about the poor conditions for women in Bamyan prison, some of whom had youngbabies with them and others who were pregnant. She also learned about the lack of basic resources, such as nappies and clothing for children, whowere patients or were receiving treatment at the Bamyan provincial hospital. She initiated a project known as ‘Bamyan Babies’. As a result of herfunding raising activities, she was able to coordinate the distribution of basic needs, such as clothing, heating, baby food and basic medical care forthe women in prison and their children. She instituted a process to locally manufacture modern re-usable nappies, which also provided a businessopportunity for the local women. She also arranged for the recruitment of a child health specialist at Bamyan hospital to address the gap in basicmother Her efforts resulted in the Bamyan government agreeing to provide monthly medical clinics at the prison and to consider the development ofa more suitable separate women’s compound within a new prison currently under construction.KNOWN AWARDS
New Zealand Distinguished Service Decoration
New Zealand Operational Service Medal
New Zealand General Service Medal (Afghan Primary)
NOTES
Born
Died
THE PRO PATRIA PROJECT
