Churches to help refugees, envoy says

 By SIMON NIANFOP
CHURCHES are set to play a crucial role in the resettlement in the country of asylum seekers held on Manus Island, Australian High Commissioner Deborah Stokes hinted yesterday.
She said the Australian government understood that churches had a strong interest in the welfare and resettlement of the refugees.
It required the engagement of churches and the governments to come up with a solution, she said
Speaking at the Church Partnership Programme in Port Moresby, Stokes said Australia would help in the resettlement and had agreed to increase aid for Manus.
She told the forum that more than 600 locals were employed at the detention centre, with an average K1.7 million spent each week.
She said the Australian government would continue to have a close dialogue with churches, acknowledging the  churches’ important role here because they dealt with people at the community level.
Despite the challenges in law and order, gender equality and development grenerally, PNG has shown some progress with the help of churches, she said.
Churches encouraged and practiscd ethical standards and acted as role models in communities, she said
“Their roles are indispensable, with Australian-funded projects in health and education, Stokes said.
Service delivery at the provincial level has a huge potential in collaborating with churches to utilise the district services and support grants, the high commissioner said.
Australia is working closely with the PNG government to improve services and infrastructure capabilities, she said.