Women with Disability receive much needed help from Australian AID

Rose Peter of Women with Disability, Kundiawa

ROSE Peter is a leader in her community and leads a rich, productive life despite having a mobility impairment.   She is also a passionate advocate for the rights of people with disability and represents the Women with Disability group of the Kundiawa-Gembogl electorate in Chimbu Province.

Rose and her group want to build a disabled-friendly community learning centre that will be a rich resource for people living with disability; providing training, support and vocational rehabilitation services, helping them towards new life opportunities, employment prospects and address the pressing needs of a vulnerable and all too often overlooked section of society.
   
After relentless years of knocking on doors, persuasion and prayers Rose and her tenacious group of advocates now have the funding they need to make the learning centre a reality with the gift of K64,400 from the people of Australia.

This life changing grant has been made available through the ‘Community Development Small Grants Scheme’ of the Australian AID Program initiative Strongim Pipol Strongim Nesen (SPSN) program.

Rose was overwhelmed by the support, her voice broke with emotion and tears of joy ran freely down her cheeks as she tried to keep composure during a media interview.

“Mi riprisentim wanpela grup we planti taim ol lain ino save luksave long ol na dispela sapot nau mipela kisim em bikpela samting stret, na em bai bringim plenti senis lo laif bilong mipela ol diseibol lain.” she said in tokpisin

(“I represent a group usually ignored and this support we have received today is a big achievement for us, as it will bring a lot of positive changes for people with disabilities”)

Women with Disability is amongst nine community based organizations who will benefit from a total funding of K493,500  Australian AID Program (made available through  SPSN) for a range of valuable community development projects in Chimbu Province.

The other recipients are;

• Yani Church Community Service will receive K29,300 funding to support a mobile team of  15 men and 30 women who will run life-skills programs, and spread messages of positive living to 19,000 people, through its thirty-nine Seventh Day Adventist churches in Gumine District.
• Kakai Elementary School will receive K70,400 for a new double-story classroom to enhance the learning environment for the school’s 92 students from three different communities in the Komtai’s District.
• The Kuglyani Self Support Group will receive K46,000 to upgrade the existing water supply for the 3000 people in Moroma community in the outskirts of Kerowaghi district.
• Dawa Foundation from the Sol Nomane District will receive K70,400 to upgrade and add flow-pipes from the community’s main water source, located 1800 meters up the  Gugama mountain, to their door-step. This will ease the burden of women and children who currently have to collect the water daily.
• St Peters Parish – Wangoi will receive K75,900 to improve health services for the 14,000 people of Elimbari in the Chuave district, with the building of a community learning centre for the Christ Our Hope Health Centre.  
• The Maunkai Agriculture Integrated Project will get K74,700 to construct a new resource training centre to replace the current run-down semi-permanent building.
• The KG Wan Eco Habitat Inc will receive K72, 700 for a resource centre to house life-skills projects for women in the Kudiawa-Gembogl district.
• And students attending the Karepa Lutheran Primary School in the remote Karamui District will have the opportunity to improve their literacy skills with a K62,100 gift for a school library.

At a ceremony held on Friday, February 22, 2013 in Kundiawa, SPSN Program Director Jeremy Syme and Chimbu Province Deputy Administrator Otto Sine along with other provincial leaders officially handed over approved funding deeds to the groups.  These organizations will now have the means and opportunity to make a real difference in their own communities.

SPSN Program Director Jeremy Syme said:
“AusAID is committed to improving lives for communities across Papua New Guinea, but communities must be equally determined to ensure that these projects deliver”.

 “These gifts are from the people of Australia to the people of Papua New Guinea and are gifts that come with expectations. Expectations that you will spend the money wisely, appropriately and most importantly for the purpose you have requested.  It’s also vital that it benefits as many people as possible and that you find ways to sustain it and let it grow.” 

While Otto Sine, the Deputy Administer for Chimbu urged the groups to be good managers of these projects and to serve their people well:

“You have felt the need for your hauslains (clan), LLGs (Local Level Government) and your districts and you are trying to address that need. But money alone cannot do the job, it needs manpower, and good human resources. You have been given this money from the taxpayers in Australia because they have heard our cries and seen our needs and are able to provide this support”.

“The onus is on us now. We need to use and mange these funds properly; we must put it to good use so that our felt need is solved.” said Mr Sine.