Persistence pays - Boru village gets clean drinking water



Beru Laurie (left) and other members of the Boru United Church Men's Fellowship group in Port Moresby.

BERU Laurie is a slim elderly man dressed in a faded brown floral shirt and laplap who seems rather out of place among the immaculate polished tiles and air conditioning of the conference room at the Strongim Pipol Strongim Nesen Headquarters  in Port Moresby, a simple villager in a sophisticated urban setting.

He seems quite at ease mingling with the elegantly dressed crowd  and smiles a lot but it is when he speaks that the sheer charisma of the man becomes apparent.  Articulate and likable he exudes good humour and he has every reason to be elated; his persistence has payed off. Over the years, Beru and his United Church Men’s Fellowship group from Boru have been trying tirelessly to get safe drinking water for their community. 

But in October 2012, their prayers were been answered and they were one of six successful groups (out of 200 applications from Central Province) to be granted AusAID funding for their community development projects.

Under this grant, they will receive K70,356 for water tanks along with training on water management  and sanitation.   It’s a gift that is set to change the lives of all 4,000 people in Boru village, a remote and inaccessible coastal community located in the Cloudy Bay.
In an interview, Laurie, tells in motu that over the years safe and clean drinking water for Boru was scarce. 

“ Gorere bona mase ia momo, Boru hanuai. Kukuri ranu, sipoma, malaria ia bada. Hahine, maragidia bona burukadia momo herea metau bada herea idia davaria. Medu dina lalonai, inai guri ranu be medu ese do ia hadikaia momokani. Unai daina, ai moale bada herea Australia tanobada taudia  dekenai  bona ai  gwau teniku bada herea ai emai kudo lalonai momokani dekenai bona Dirava ese do ia hanamomu”
(“Sicknesses and deaths have been high in Boru village. There is a high prevalence of sicknesses such as dysentery, fungal skin infections and malaria. Women, children and the old have been the most vulnerable and experience a lot of difficulties. When it rains, it becomes even harder because the bore water wells floods. That is why we are very happy and pleased with this gift and to the people of Australia, we say thank you from deep within our hearts and may God bless you all.”

SPSN Deputy Program Director Martin Syder commended the group on their persistence and said they should be an example to other communities that persistence does pay off.