Students bring tanks to islanders

Weekender

By SYLVESTER WEMURU
SERVING the people in his or her own province is one of the thing that a student in tertiary institution would want to do during holidays to help others with the skills that they had acquired.
Madang students attending the University of Papua New Guinea was no exception when they saw tertiary students from other provinces doing awareness in schools or do something that will benefit the people in their province.
President of the UPNG Madang Students’ Association Kurere Matanzana and seven other students took the initiative to revisit the three care centres – Asuramba, Potsdam and Mangem – in the second week of January for a follow up of the Manam Appeal Project 1 which they initiated in 2019 through which they had donated three tanks, six cement bags and three lockable water taps to the respective primary schools at the care centres, Tabele, Dangale and Abaria.
Phase 2 of the Manam Appeal Project came into fruition through the financial support of K5,000 (grant) they got from The Voice Inc under the leadership of Rayleen Jimlake, also a UPNG student from Madang. She applied for the grant through a proposal for the building of the foundation of the water catchment system after they learned that the locals did not have the financial means to set up the tanks themselves.
Upon receiving the grant successfully, the eight UPNG students bought food rations, hired a bus, purchased six cement bags, a tap, downpipes, elbow joints, and the necessary plumbing and carpentry tools in the second week of January and travelled down to Potsdam Care Centre
Matanzana said they were overwhelmed and blessed with the support they got from Sigma Construction when the company extended its hand to lend them a six-tonne truck to carry all their materials and food rations. He said they only bought fuel and gave traveling allowances to the driver and his crew
Provincial Police Commander Supt Mazuc Rubiang was very supportive towards this cause tand provided an escort for the students all the way to Potsdam.
“We spent the first two days in Potsdam, Tabele Primary School, setting up their water catchment system. The people are very friendly, open, and welcoming. The hospitality and generosity shown was a story of its own. On Jan 13 we left Potsdam for Asuramba where we completed the project in just a day and a half due to the effective participation of all the community leaders, youth and mothers in Dangale Primary School.
He said they left Asuramba at around 9am on Friday and headed down to Mangem only for an inspection and general observation of the completed system, built and established by the locals. The councilors of the Mangem Care Centre and chairman the and the board of Abaria Primary School were all there to welcome them. The meeting went for an hour where they only presented tap to be installed on the tank.
“The road trip back to Madang was awesome, fulfilling, and rewarding as we knew that we had done something to at least better the lives of our fellow countrymen and women who have been in some ways were neglected and marginalised. The water tanks will directly benefit the students and teachers and also the community if need be.”
He said the environment at the care centres was peaceful and they were accommodated in the teachers’ houses.