Room3

When a woman escapes domestic and family violence, safety is only the beginning.
That long and courageous journey is at the heart of this year’s Halo Ball film.

We worked closely with the HopeStreet team and frontline staff to honour the real services that support women and children every day - from food and crisis accommodation to counselling, playgroups, employment pathways and NILs.

💛 This year’s Halo Ball raised $547,000+ to help families rebuild with dignity and hope.

🎥 Watch the full film at haloball.baptistcare.org.au

Last week, Room3 was on the ground in Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea 🇵🇬, working alongside the dedicated medical team at Goroka Base Hospital. This remarkable team provides life-changing assistive technology—including hearing aids, glasses, white canes, and mobility devices—to communities, while also performing cataract surgeries that restore sight to hundreds of people every week.

Our work in Papua New Guinea continues to focus on amplifying these vital efforts. This trip involved:

- Documenting the hospital’s outreach, capturing firsthand the impact of these interventions in remote communities.
- Producing a national campaign to destigmatize the wearing of glasses and highlight the importance of eye health—developed in collaboration with the community to ensure authenticity and relevance.
- Providing production training to Zeena, a talented local female assistant, as part of our ongoing commitment to capacity building.
- Reconnecting with Ben, a passionate advocate we met six months ago, to deliver a donated laptop equipped with screen-reading capabilities—helping him continue his work in education and advocacy despite losing his sight.

Despite unpredictable weather and challenging road conditions, the team successfully captured powerful stories. However, the trip was cut short due to unexpected unrest in the region, requiring an early evacuation.

We are incredibly grateful to our partners and the communities who shared their stories with us. In the coming months, we look forward to bringing these narratives to life and continuing to support inclusive and impactful storytelling.

Did you know that in Australian cities, only 10% of field camera operators are women? And in the Pacific, there is a vast under-representation of female camera operators despite the clear passion and skill for visual storytelling. The ABC She Shoots Pacific is supporting the next generation of visual storytellers!
Here is Fane's story - who is the first to go through the pilot program! 👏

She Shoots Pacific: supporting the next generation of visual storytellers - ABC International Development The ABC's ‘She Shoots Pacific' is giving emerging Pacific video journalists the opportunity to work with experienced ABC TV crews.