What is HANIWAI?

The Humanity and Nature Indigenous Women’s Association Inc. (HANIWAI) is an Indigenous women-led non-profit organization based in Papua New Guinea. Our mission is to empower marginalized communities and protect ancestral knowledge throughout PNG and the Pacific.

We provide safe spaces, shelter, counseling, and support for Indigenous women and children affected by domestic violence, sorcery-related accusations, homelessness, tribal conflict, climate-induced displacement, and other forms of injustice and trauma. We stand with widows, orphans, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, forcibly displaced women and young girls (including those internally displaced by environmental crises and conflict), and other outcast or vulnerable members of society.

Through community workshops, awareness campaigns, protest marches, and cultural education, we work to break cycles of violence and discrimination while advocating for climate justice and sustainable resilience in Indigenous communities. At HANIWAI, we believe in healing, solidarity, and reclaiming dignity — together, and live by our motto to Preserve, Protect, and Transform.