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Kombuku villagers need help to
fight AIDS
By PETER KORUGL
At first they heard stories.
Then suddenly death visited Waigar and the confession that
followed was profoundly shocking.
"Daddy and mummy! Thank you for trying. I did not listen so I am
going ahead. Please forgive me" she spoke just before the Priest
conducted the last rites.
Those that were there heard a long list of names, from the young
to the old, from her brothers to leaders who had paid her for
sex and she had obliged.
Soon after the shocking revelation, two young men that she had
named were tested HIV positive. One had infected his wife and
they are among more than seven people in the Kombuku clan that
are suspected as being HIV positive.
The tribe lives in Kunabau, Gena Waugla Local Level Government
area in the Kerowagi district.
Not many years ago, the Kombuku clan had over1500 adults. It's
neighbours constantly threatened them with violence because of
its size.
In the last 10 years there was an increase in the population of
its young people, between the ages 13 and 25. They represent the
productive members of the population.
Today the tribe boasts over 3000 adults (females and males) who
belong to the Kugameku, Dingiku, Kauiambuku and Tauiaku
sub-clans of Kombuku.
The Kombuku people are coffee growers, producing some of the
finest organic beans, which they sell to build better homes, buy
vehicles and essential items to improve their lives.
The people also farm rice, poultry, livestock, fish and plant
vegetables that are sold at the local market.
When the highlands highway was put through, it cut through
Kunimong in the east and ran out of Koronigle to Western
Highlands in the west.
The highway has made traveling much easier for the people. They
also interact with a lot of the people traveling the highway and
as a result, they are highly exposed to drugs, alcohol (home
brew) and sex.
PNG Power Ltd followed the same route, erecting pylons, which
transported electricity from the Yonki hydro system in Eastern
Highlands across to the rest of the highlands region.
Villagers houses have electricity and a few enterprising people
have opened up video parlours and liquor outlets, providing the
environment conducive for the young to indulge in illegal and
dangerous activities.
Waigar is my home and when I visited on the independence
anniversary weekend I was shocked.
The popular motto "liklik moni, bikpela spak" was true for the
young men of Kombuku who drank their home brewed liquor, spiked
with a bit of SP Brown. Groups of young men went on drinking
sprees, starting from one drinking hole to another, night after
night.
There was fighting and the drunks made all sorts of noise
throughout the weekend I was unable to sleep when I was there.
I was told that men with money and cars moved around, picking up
girls and paying them for sex.
On Monday, September 17 I was invited to witness the a village
court hearing about an assault matter between two young men over
a young girl.
"Before I announce the decision we have reached, I want to say
something," senior village magistrate Damien Kolkia spoke and
awaited for everyone's attention.
"AIDS is in our community already. We magistrates, our councilor
and other leaders in our clan are not trained on AIDS but what I
know is that it kills slowly and there is no medicine.
"There are a lot of young men in our community who are getting
intoxicated with home brewed liquor and going after village
prostitutes.
"I am warning you. You are exposing yourself to AIDS," Kolkia
informed his listeners.
Later Peter Per, the other village magistrate, informed me that
the future survival of the tribe was at stake because the
HIV/AIDS pandemic had reached Kunabau.
I learnt that two people from the clan had succumbed to AIDS and
died. One of them was given the opportunity to repent on her
deathbed.
Before the last rites were administered, she was asked to make
her last confession and the list that came stunned everyone who
was there.
I also learnt that there were others who were HIV positive and
were sexually active in the community.
"We are all going to die. She is selling herself for any amount,
even for 50 toea for sex and we know she has many lovers," a
father of six told me.
The woman, he said, must surely have picked up the virus from
one of her lovers whose HIV positive status was known to the
community.
The leaders said awareness was desperately needed to stop the
spread of the virus and promote safe sex among the people.
"We need to inform, educate and tell our people to change their
attitude and behaviour to protect themselves from HIV/AIDS.
"I tried to enroll at one of the training programs sponsored by
the Catholic Church so that I would be equipped with the
knowledge and skills to make my people aware of the disease but
I did not have the money," Per, a father of four young men said.
"I am afraid of my boys. The disease is already here and it will
not go away. It will spread," Per said, pleading for me to do
something.
I write this article in the hope that the plea by this clan be
heard. It had seen what HIV/AIDS does to the human body and on
lives of people.
It is prepared to accept advice and help now.
 
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