| Sports |
AusAID help in remote
areas
By JAMES APA GUMUNO
AusAID under its Community
Development Scheme (CDS) has played a very important role in the
country to improve the lives of the people and help build the
economy of the country.
In many remote parts of the country where government was unable to
deliver basic service, the CDS has stood in for the government.
Phase 1 of the CDS was established in PNG in 1999.
The phase two programs, which started in 2002 will end in May this
year.
For Highlands region alone, the AusAID under its small grant
program and Civil Society Organization (CSO) programs has spent
well over K14, million to fund 391 projects under its phase two
program in the region.
The funds were only made available to organized groups in the
region who wanted to help themselves and seek assistance from the
CDS.
In order for the CDS has to fund any projects, the community has
to come up with 10% of the total cost of the project as
counterpart funding while the CDS meet the rest of the cost.
The 10% counterpart funding is to make sure that people in the
community feel ownership over the projects and look after it in
the years to come unlike the government's service where people
seem to have no care attitude and destroyed them because they
don't have a contribution in the project.
According to Highlands regional coordinator for CDS, Francis Kup
in the phase two program a total of 391 projects were funded in
the five highlands provinces.
Some of the impact projects they funded include water supplies,
coffee rehabilitation, HIV/Aids, adult literacy, potato training,
vanilla, rice rehabilitation, trout farming, resource centers,
piggery, poultries, raising goat, sawmill, organic food farming,
footbridges, elementary classrooms, capacity building trainings,
habitat for humanity special partner program, education capacity
building, Gumine computer classroom and many others.
Mr Kup said that it cost Community Development Scheme K14, 327,
813.85.
He said that phase two program would be completed by May this
year, adding now they are not funding any new projects but
implementing the existing projects.
He said that many of the projects they funded were in remote areas
where government's service are none existence.
Mr Kup said some projects they funded near the main provincial or
districts headquarters.
About 163 projects were completed and now enjoyed by the people
while 107 projects are still under implementation
Twenty-five grant agreements signed last year were still yet to be
funded because the people are yet to come up with their 10%
counterpart funding within the next three months.
The other funded projects were closed or withdrawn because the
people didn't come up with the counterpart funding or misuse the
money or material purchased for the projects.
Mr Kup said that about 90% of the projects comes under the small
grant program where community directly involved in the projects
with their 10% counterpart funding.
He said that 10% of the total projects were funded through the CSO
like the non-government organizations, churches and other big
groups.
Mr Kup said the CSO used the money to conduct training for the
people about various things like farming, literacy, capacity
building, vanilla farming and many others.
Out of the total funding of K14, 327, 813.85, the Western
Highlands province received the biggest share of K4, 205, 203.46,
followed by Eastern Highlands with K3, 308, 967.84, Southern
Highlands received K3, 122, 390.19, Simbu with K2, 343,739.26 and
Enga province received K1, 347,513.10.
Mr Kup said that they come to a transitional period where they
gradually slow down this year but very happy that many people in
the remote areas benefit from the projects they had funded under
the small grant program.
He said that AusAID would come up with a new program but said that
it would be better to include small grant program in the new
programs because under this program all the people involved in the
project and they took ownership over the projects.
He added that due to time factor some people didn't benefit but
happy that at least many people benefit and starting to improve
their way of living.
 
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