Worries raised as funds run low for Kadovar islanders

FUNDS for the displaced Kadovar islanders living at the Dandan Care Centre in East Sepik are expected to run out in the next month, Wewak District Development Authority chief executive Martin Maingu says.
“The K1.5 million allocated by the national government to relocate and care for the islanders when the volcano erupted in January is running low. About K300,000 is left,” he said.
“So we are now asking the national government to provide additional funds. We usually spend about K30,000 a week to care for these islanders at the centre. We spend the money on food, fuel, labour and other costs to manage the camp. Tomorrow we will be bringing 100 bags of rice to the centre in Turubu.”
Maingu brushed aside a newspaper report that a 17-year-old girl was raped at the care centre and that five people had died of starvation.
“There was no report of rape at the centre,” Maingu said
“My officers are there and they are providing daily reports to my office.
“They did report that some residents from the centre had gone further into the bush and were chased by the local villagers back to camp. But there were no reports of rape. There were four deaths but that was in the early stages of settling in the camp and they were old men. We now have nine babies born in the centre and they are doing well.
“In fact, the residents – about 600 of them – are all doing well. They are going fishing in the sea and selling their catches to the locals. They sometimes bring their catches to sell at the Wewak Market. They are making gardens and growing cabbages, aibika, corn, taro and bananas. They have already harvested some of these crops”.