A way out of Olsobip

By Daniel Sakumai
THE Olsobip people in Western Province have embarked on a new road project, which could change their lives for the better and put an end to their struggles.
But they need a helping hand.
With only K600, 000 they man¬aged to build eight kilometers of the 52 km Ok Menga-Olsobip road in the North Fly district.
Project coordinator Dimus Da¬ksep said, “We did not award the project to any contractors because our past experiences showed that when projects were awarded to contractors they misused the money and disappeared without completing the projects.
“Learning from these experi¬ences, the Olsobip LLG adminis¬tration is taking the responsibility of coordination and organisation of the project since last May and constructed eight kilometres so far.” Daksep said.
This is a milestone achieve¬ment considering the limited funds, equipment, expertise and geographical barriers.
They are now appealing to the Fly River Provincial Government, North Fly district administration and stakeholders to continue to support and work in partner¬ship with them to complete the remaining 44km.
Accessing basic goods and services for the Faiwol tribe in Olsobip is a daily struggle.
Due to its mountainous geog¬raphy the only form of transport into Olsobip and neighboring villages is by air and walking.
The area is disadvantaged and unreachable in terms of basic governmental services.
Some of the villages in Olsobip LLG area include, Bolangun, Golgobip, Bolivip, Biangabip, Kayangabip, Dumunak, Kamfu¬rabip, Selbang, Seltamin, Bakta¬min, Dimtikin, among others.
Air fares are high even though these villages are located 10 to 20 minutes away from the two main towns of Tabubil and Kiunga.
Airline companies such as Missionary Aviation Fellowship (MAF) and Milne Bay Airlines (MBA) that once served these villages have ceased operations, ending the delivery of vital goods and services into the area.
Public servants especially teachers and health workers had no choice but to withdraw their services because of the transpor¬tation problems, and schools and health centres closed.
There are stories of airplane crashes that claimed many lives over the years and the terrible experiences of women, children and men being carried away by fast-flowing rivers while walking to Tabubil for basic services.
This made the people decide to build a road for themselves using their own initiative through their local government to connect them with the nearest towns of Tabubil and Kiunga.
Daksep said the road when complete would be a catalyst for change by bringing development and government services into Olsobip.
“Local people have taken own¬ership of the project, which was evident in their work performance and commitment. This was a positive approach and I, as a coordinator, hope that this will continue until the completion of the project,” he said.
He said the road project was a much-talked about subject for the people in Olsobip for more than a decade.
“This dream of building a road was realised in 2007 when the Fly River provincial government fur¬ther endorsed the road proposal to link Olsobip with the urban centres of Tabubil and Kiunga as a catalyst to bring development to improve and sustain the liveli¬hood of the rural population,” Daksep said.
He said the road project was one of the major impact projects undertaken by the Olsobip LLG after a feasibility study in 2007.
The project is funded under the Special Support Grant (SSG) kept under a trust account in Waigani.
He said the K600,000 was spent on hiring skilled and unskilled labourers, fuel, food supplies and maintenance of machinery.
Daksep said there were 55 local workers onsite, which comprised of operators, mechanics and servicemen, who were former em¬ployees of OTML and Star West Constructions Ltd.
“The major impediments to the project are unpredictable moun¬tain weather, no project car to transport fuel, food and manpow¬er, prolonged delay in releasing of funds from the provincial head¬quarters in Kiunga and break¬down of machinery,” he said.
He thanked the Fly River provincial government, North Fly district administration, the workforce, and the community who had helped in the completion of the 8km portion of the road.