From Watut with love

LAST month, The National ran the heartwarming story of   12-year-old Ngaru Nen – from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA – and his three-year struggle to bring books and school supplies to his father Aral’s home in remote Watut, Morobe province, Papua New Guinea.
In 2008, after visiting Watut, Ngaru began a three-year labour of love, collecting books and school supplies, however, the young man hit an 11th-hour hitch.
His dad, Aral, tried so many shipping companies, however, the fees were so high and father told son that the books would go to Africa instead of Watut, as there was a Rotary club which could ship to that continent.
A teary Ngaru was heartbroken and prayed for a miracle to happen.
God must have heard his prayers, for in far-off PNG, Morobe Mining Joint Ventures general manager – sustainability and external relations, David Wissink, turned Good Samaritan as he read about young Ngaru’s plight on Facebook.
Thanks to Wissink, a container load of books and school supplies left Milwaukee for Lae, final destination Watut, last month.
The feedback to this story, from both within PNG and overseas, was enormous.
But who is Ngaru’s father and what is his background?
Aral Nen first came to America in April of 1995 after meeting his wife, Mary Johnston Nen, at Dregerhafen High School in Finschhafen when she was an American Peace Corps Volunteer teaching at the school.
His father is from Watut and mother from Yongumuggl, Chimbu province.
“I was raised and brought up in Lae during the later part of the colonial era,” he tells me.
“My dad was a police officer and we used to live at Bumbu Police Barracks.
 I attended Bumneng, St Paul and Igam primary schools during my childhood.
“Bumayong was my high school and UPNG was my college.
“After graduating from UPNG in 1982, I spent some time between Lae and Chimbu doing odd jobs.
“In 1986, I completed a one-year post-graduate diploma in education and was sent to Dregerhafen High school the following year to teach.
“I taught there until 1991 and was transferred to Bugandi in 1992.
“In 1993, I was again transferred to Lae High School.
“I resigned from teaching the following year.
“When I first came to America, I had to get adjusted to life, culture, weather, people, food and many other things.
“Everything here is done in a different mode as PNG and I have to keep up, otherwise, I would
be left behind.
“I had to work odd jobs at factories and supermarkets to get money to pay for my college school fees in order to get my American teaching license.
“I did not last for more than three months, because I could not keep up with how things are moving here.
“I kept on going back to PNG and returning over some years before I got used to doing things here.
“Right now, I am fine living in America and PNG.
“I made sure my children know where they came from by visiting their country and hauslain and getting to know their people, tribes, and origin from my end.
“I am currently teaching high school students here in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
“My daughter Betty Nen visited Lae, Finchhafen, and Kundiawa in June of 2005 and my son Ngaru Nen visited in 2008.
“I try to save up every summer to visit mama graun PNG.
“It is very hard for me to forget about Watut and PNG.”
Nen knows he has to do his bit to help PNG move forward by way of assisting those who genuinely need help.
“I have sponsored two students from Bumayong High School, my ex school; one at Gordon High School;  set up and support Lae Volunteer Service to clean up Lae City;  contributed money to send a Goilala family back to their village via AIDS Foundation; contribute to Sir Peter Barter’s Melanesian Foundation to help Manam volcano victims; contribute via Lae Volunteer Service toward cholera victims at Angau and Sialum landslide victims; and also a Simon Mane from Chimbu, whose house was burnt down to the ground at Five-Mile a couple of years ago.
“My current project is Lae Volunteer Service and Lower Watut Tournament, which is held every June -July.
“My son Ngaru’s project was sponsorship of a grade five student at Bubia Primary School two years ago and now the books and school supplies for schools in Lower Watut.
“I know I have a lot of blessings from God and I must not be greedy but must extend or share them with those in need.
“Looking back, I think I enjoyed Lae and PNG in the very good old days where respect, peace and harmony prevailed, unlike today
“I love those good old days where Lae was so peaceful, clean and many people knew how to respect and live peacefully amongst each other.
“I also think that God has taken a good care of me and my family and is using us to help others.
“My greatest thank, to my parents Mr and Mrs Nen (deceased) for all their sacrifices to bring me up to where I am now.
“I would also like to thank PNG and the tax payers for the education, experiences and support though national scholarships.
“Without such support, I would not have made it.
“I would like to see the young generation of today to work very hard together in honesty, pride, respect, love, peace, and put the people and the country in our hearts.”
Papua New Guineans working, studying, and living in mainland USA have formed a home-away-from-home group.
“We formed our community here known as the PNGINUSA community and recently registered as a non-profit organisation with the Department of Internal Revenue Service,” Nen says.
“We meet every year over the July 4 weekend at selected site to get to know other wantoks and celebrate a combined USA and PNG independence.