The Mul-Baiyer-Lumusa Students Association of the University of Papua New Guinea will conduct awareness in Western Highlands Province on the 7th of December.
This follows the recent launch of their Christmas awareness program at Club Regal in Port Moresby.
During the year, the students raised K18,000 to conduct awareness on social issues, including domestic violence, sorcery accusation related issues, sexual abuse, law and order, health and basic government services, welfare development and economic issues.
Their program will also focus on social and mental development issues such as drugs and alcohol abuse, and speaking to students and youths in the village on the importance of education, including awareness on the SME loan program introduced by the government.
President of the Mul-Baiyer-Lumusa Students Association, Joel Simon, while outlining the purpose of their awareness, said there are so many pressing issues that are affecting and suppressing their district.
“The prime objective that drives this awareness is to promote unity and collaboration in all areas of the local level government in our district because we, as intellectuals, believe that lack of development is due to some form of non-collaboration and disunity in the district. For us to sit back and watch is over, hence we take this privilege and opportunity to go and advocate for unity in all sectors of our district from the bottom-up.
“We believe in human resource development since our districts do not have any natural resources.
“The awareness is not for our personal gain rather, it is for the betterment of our people in the district and province as a whole.
“We don’t want those that will come after us to go through the same struggles that we faced and experience even today. We don’t want this virus passed onto them, we want to stop it. They must be a healthy generation and citizen of our district to live on after us.”
Invited guest and CEO of Kolo Lawyers, Jason Kolo, while pledging five thousand kina, said students should conduct awareness and contribute in a small way to the development of the people’s mindset in the district.
“We believe that when the people in the district and communities are mentally developed, our district should be in a better position to move forward,” Kolo added.
Meantime, the projected budget is K30,000, hence the students have written to their local leaders for assistance.
(The Mul-Baiyer-Lumusa Students Association at the launch of their program; Picture and article by Albert Moses – final year UPNG Journalism student)
