Pro-ma Systems helps underprivileged children
By LUCY KAPI
IN November 2000, the Co-Founder of Pro-Ma Systems, Sandra Fittler visited Papua New Guinea to attend a conference at the Crowne Plaza in Port Moresby.
While here she glanced through a copy of the Wantok Niuspepa and saw a photograph of children sitting on the ground and writing.
The paper is written in Tok Pisin, so Mrs Fittler asked Violet, the wife of Pro-Ma Systems’ regional sales & marketing manager for Solomon Islands & PNG, Allan Duma to tell her what is was about.
The article was about a group of Goilala children living at Baruni Dump, being taught how to read and write.
Mrs Fittler asked where Baruni Dump was and was shocked that it some 15 minutes drive from the Crowne Plaza.
Mrs Fittler could not comprehend that a resource rich PNG had children such as those in the photograph.
“So she directed us to track the article and locate the teacher named in the article, Peter Liam who was teaching the Goilala children at Baruni Dump,” said Mr Duma.
Once they located the teacher, they informed Mrs Fittler who said “we’ll take over from here”.
There were about 60 children aged between 5 and 14.
Their teacher, Peter Liam also from Goilala had decided to teach them to read and write. They needed a classroom and teaching materials.
Mrs Fittler returned to Australia and started sending funds through Pro-Ma PNG’s charity arm, Light of Hope PNG to look into the Baruni Dump children’s affair.
From 2001 they built a classroom behind the dump for the Goilala kids and provided two sets of uniforms per child.
“We also funded three meals per day for the children, paid the three teachers a fortnightly allowance and appointed Mr Liam as the head teacher,” Mr Duma said.
St Joseph Sisters were appointed to oversee the programme including supervising the cooking of meals.
The programme ran smoothly with over K400, 000 spent from 2001 - 2006 but an ethnic clash in 2006 between the Goilalas and people of Baruni disrupted it.
Everything at the dump was burnt down except for the permanent material classroom that withstood the fire.
Pro-Ma staff dismantled the building materials and searched for a new location to continue the programme.
This year, we found a location at Laloki, says Mr Duma adding already the project site for the school to be called St Peter’s Literacy School has been cleared for construction.
The plan for the new project is to build two buildings to house six classes; four teachers’ houses, one community hall, an ablution block and a small dormitory for the Baruni Dump children.
He explains that the dormitory would enable the children to leave the Dump and live within the school grounds where they can concentrate on school and have food and clean water.
Pro-Ma System Australia has provided the funds up until now and Light of Hope PNG will take over to fund the new Laloki project.
In order to get the project off the ground, a major fundraiser has been planned for this Saturday at the Grand Palace called “Light of Hope Corporate Dinner”.
A corporate table is K2,500 and already the following business houses have come forward with assistance; Lae Builders & Contractors, AON Consultant, AON Risk, Ling’s Freezer, Eda Ranu, BSP and L&A.
Pro-Ma Systems PNG has also orgnanised with their headquarter in Gold Coast where they have received the support of the Gold Coast Titans to donate all their signed jerseys to be auctioned at this Saturday’s fundraising dinner.
Mr Duma is appealing to corporate organizations and business houses to support this fundraising dinner to give hope to the little Goilala children at Baruni Dump as well as other underprivileged children at Laloki near the project site who will also benefiting from the school.
They hope to raise over K100, 000 at the Corporate Dinner fundraising.
Anyone interested to find out more about the Corporate Dinner or to support this project can call Mr Duma at Pro-Ma Systems on 323 1393 or email: info@pro-masystems.com.pg;
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