Savina’s time in a kibbutz

IT was a fine September morning.
Savina Frank and friends sat and discussed quietly among themselves.
The atmosphere was filled with mixed emotions.
Some were excited, sad and nervous.
Not one of them has traveled out of their hometown in Enga. Only two had reached Port Moresby and that was the furthest any of them have travelled.
I was picked up to cover a farewell ceremony for Frank and 11 others outside of the city that day.
They were bound for Israel to receive technical training in agriculture.
After a 20 minutes’ drive, we arrived at the Bluff Inn Motel, set in tropical gardens on the banks of the Laloki River.
A timid Frank tells me three months away from home is too long.
What lies ahead of her, she isn’t too sure.
She dreaded being away from simple life in her village.
She had to live in a kibbutz, study and work for three months.
Kibbutz is Hebrew term for a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture.
The first kibbutz was established in 1909.
In 2010, there were 270 kibbutzim in Israel.
Their factories and farms account for 9 per cent of Israel’s industrial output, worth US$8 billion, and 40 per cent of its agricultural output, worth over $1.7 billion Frank says: “I don’t know anything about Israel, except reading about it in the Bible.”
She was one of 12 other young people from Enga who left the country for a three-month technical agriculture training.
Three months on, I was back at the airport, only to be greeted by a smiling Frank and others.
The programme ended and they returned to the country a week before Christmas.
“One never knows how much they miss home, the weather, the food until they are far away from home.
“Being on foreign soil makes you appreciate everything around you, most especially family,” an excited Franksays.
“It’s so good to be back.
“I like Israel a lot, I learnt so much about agriculture and made new friends,” she tells me with a wide smile.
Frank was thankful her local government- Enga provincial government for believing in the development of training human resource.
The three month programme for the 12 young Engans was made possible through a partnership between Enga provincial government and Israeli firm- Innovative Agro Industry Ltd (IAI).
The 14 weeks of comprehensive training was based on hands-on approach which includes related activities both at the small scale holdings and at the community levels.
It was carried out through combined training, skill and technical capacity building.
The programme is based on five days of practical work and one academic day each week (lecturers, group discussions and tours) – respectively with holidays and other activities. The practical work would be in the specific industries operating in the kibbutz such as field food crops, orchards, coop, barn, ornamental and agricultural village.
The programme includes integrated professional tours to focus on highly intensive and rural agriculture and expose the trainees to history and the different areas of the Land of Israel. These tours will also cover the aspects of religion, society and culture in general.
Enga Governor Sir Peter Ipatas says the 12 will work at the Sirunki AIC project as skilled employees starting this month.
He said Enga provincial government and Innovative Agro Industry Ltd (IAI) had started construction work on the Enga AIC Industrial Centre at Sirunki.
The primary goal of the project is to grow potatoes, onions, carrots, strawberries and other vegetables.
This project is focused at engaging smallholders with a nucleus agroindustrial centre that will provide training and inputs (seeds, fertilisers and equipment) that will service the smallholders.
The industrial centre will also comprise a storage, packing and distribution centre.
Total investment in this project is K23 million and would comprise:
The agro industrial services and training centre – which will provide services and inputs to local farmers and primarily procure fresh; and vegetables from local out-growers to process and market the produce.
A 15-hectare commercial agro-industrial centre which will grow, process and market its own produce.
“It is necessary to provide smallholder farmers and trainers with appropriate knowledge and technical know-how relating to their area of expertise in order to ensure long term sustainability of the project as a whole,” he said.
Frank and the others received certificates for the 100 hours of training in agriculture at their graduation.
Speaking at their graduation in Israel on behalf of Enga provincial government (EPG) in December of last year, acting provincial administrator Sandis Tsaka said: “It was my humble privilege to witness the successful graduation of the 12 students from Enga who have been studying innovative agriculture technology.
“We are proud of their achievements and conduct as great ambassadors of Enga and PNG.”
This significant milestone which was conducted at the kibbutz where they were based in a moving ceremony that was also attended and witnessed by high level representatives of the;

1. Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade;
2. The PNG Consular General to Israel;
3. IAI Group International;
4. Kibbutz Cooperative Societies Inc;
5. Lecturers and staff of the two participating training Kibbutz; and Family and friends.