Health, education services benefit care centre landowners

Landowners of Dandan Care Centre are benefiting from health and education services that they have missed out on for 40 years in East Sepik, centre manager Moses Wali says.
“The landowners are now benefiting from these services that are being provided in the centre to the displaced Kadovar Islanders,” he said.
Wali said that an access road to link the centre and all the isolated villages along the Turubu coast to Wewak town was being constructed with funds allocated by the government.
“The centre was established to cater for the 686 Kadovar islanders who were displaced by a volcano eruption five months ago,” Wali said.
“But we now have villagers from Samap, Kauk, Sirr, Kis, Dandan, Daul and Turubu receiving health services in the camp. This is causing shortages of drug supplies.
“But then we can’t say no to them as this is a government service and the clinic is run by the provincial health division.
“They are also the landowners. So all in all these villages in a very remote and isolated area are now benefiting from the care centre.”
Wali said Save the Children Fund established tents for primary and elementary schools.
“They are now training four islanders to teach elementary classes. So far about 100 children from within the camp and surrounding villages are attending classes,” he said.
“For the primary school it is not running because there are not enough children.
“But children from the closed-down school at the neighbouring Samap village are keen to attend classes in the centre.
“The school will commence once we have the required number of children.”
Meanwhile, another neighbouring Sirr village has stopped the construction of access road.
“The access road is a gift from the government due to the establishment of the centre,” Wali said.
“The road will benefit everyone, including the disgruntled Sirr villagers in this area. I think it needs more discussions between Sirr villagers and the Wewak district development authority to reach an agreement for the road to be built to benefit everyone.”