Uni graduates bring smiles to Keweng

LIFESTYLE

By SCHOLAR KASSAS
PAPUA New Guineans are presently talking about inflation but not ways of helping average villagers in the remote parts of the country to deal with inflation.
Obviously, the rising cost of living is hitting the average workers living in towns, cities and semi-urban villages but we tend to forget that there are people who are also struggling in villages.
In urban areas people cry out and plead for increased pay and a lowering or stablisation of prices of goods and services while in the remote parts of the country are still calling for services like road links, hospitals and a better education for their children.
Keweng village is located in the Kabwum District of Morobe, one of the most mountainous places in Papua New Guinea and has no direct road linking Lae city.
There are two ways to get to the village; either by small planes or a two-day walk from Wantoat station.
One would question how the 2,000-plus people of the village with abundant resources be affected by inflation.
Let’s not forget this village has no road link, mobile phone connectivity, proper health centres and education facilities for their children and most importantly not many market avenues to sell their surplus produce to pay for school fees, health costs and other needs.
Lae has been the main selling point for the villagers but the lack of roads remains a big problem. Villagers freight their produce to Lae through the North Coast Aviation which cost them K500 to K1,000 and even more.
They sometimes cannot afford the high freight cost to fly their produce into Lae. Inflation which is now hitting businesses including the aviation industry, has made the situation worse for the villagers.

The question of a road link has been there for years and the villagers have never given up what they had been doing for years even in the face of such tough logistics problems.
Few would raise their hands to help their own people in the village. One of the few who are doing is 25-year-old Graffy Hataba, who graduated a couple of weeks ago with Bachelor in Agriculture from the PNG University of Technology, was passionate enough to have returned to the village to help his people in whatever little ways he could.
“With the knowledge and skills I obtained I want to give back to my village,” Hataba says.
“Today’s society defines work as earning a wage and nothing else apart from it. As for me, work is anything my hands find to do, regardless.”
Hataba thought that going back to the village with fresh knowledge and educating the village people was another way of contributing to his community.
With help from his friend Theodore Meingli from East Sepik, who graduated with qualifications in fisheries at Papua New Guinea University of Natural Resources and Environment(UNRE), Hataba had done a lot for the Kaweng people in a recent month-long visit there.
Assisting the two university graduates was their friend Bradley Ovenaka who is a deaf and dumb who communicates with them in sign language.
On Sept 9 last year, they took the trip to the village with the idea of giving back to the community. Their focus was to advise the fish farmers and the fresh crops produce farmers in breeding fish and fish pond construction and the importance of marketing of their produce.
From Sept 9 to Oct 5, 2021 they had carried out awareness on fish farming – on breeding quality fish and constructing fish ponds – and education on the importance and value of marketing those fish to earn income.
The villagers had started fish farming in the 1980s without knowing that fish farming was a viable activity and that money could be made from it. Later found out more about the fish farming and since then it has become part of them.
Kaweng has almost 15 fish farmers; the highest number of ponds by any one farmer is 26 and the lowest is six.
Apart from fish farming the villagers have grown apples, wheat and other fresh food produce – are all organically grown of course.
Most of the fish produce is sold at the nearby Saonu Lutheran High School. And once in a while few visitors who go to their village are able to buy fish as well. The surplus is caught and eaten by the villagers themselves.
The villagers have therefore called out for help to anyone who can help them find markets so that they can sell their fish. They said living in such rural village with abundant resources and yet not selling them to earn money has been the biggest struggle every day of their lives.
“We are struggling, we have the land and the market products but lack resources to maximise the value of our fresh,” Hataba said.
Apart from taking care of personal and household needs the villagers have to pay school fees, make their contributions to building schools and aid-posts and all that needs money.
For the Keweng people in this remote village the lack of medical attention also means death is inevitable when it comes to major illness and severe injuries.
Meingli said he was very happy to support the village by giving the first-hand knowledge and training which he attained from UNRE. He added that applying theory into practice was especially satisfying when he saw the smiles on the faces of these people.
“We walked the villages for almost a month, spending nights in the bush which was an amazing experience.
“Sharing the pain with villagers knowing we cannot be able to help them at some levels was upsetting but it was rewarding to see an appreciation of whatever little we give,” said Hataba and Meingli
Apart from making awareness they presented sporting gear to Keweng Sports Association and a PNG flag to Keweng Primary school.
They said it was not always the case that being employed or being in a position of power enable one to deliver services to your people. Doing anything in your ability and capability to ensure someone will smile in your community is satisfaction.
“There is a distinction between feeling and knowing, knowing is just knowing the facts without actually feeling how the people feel, whilst feeling is getting touched by how people feel and them knowing will make sense,” Hataba said
“Many people just know the problems and don’t actually feels it therefore their response to problem is not effective.
“It was an adventurous trip in which we truly found a blessing and satisfaction. We can only praise God for the knowledge and skills which He instilled for the benefit of His people.”
The young men encouraged everyone reading this article to do something for their community.
“It does not cost a lot to buy a PNG flag to give to your nearest primary or elementary school. If you want to see the change in your village, then you be the change you want to see.”
The adventurous young men raised funds for their trip to the Kabwum mountains by selling virgin coconut oil on the streets of Lae. With additional support from their parents and their passionate friends, the trip became a success.
Think of something, do the plan, raise money and execute it. That is the least we can do for our people.