Nupmo Women & Children’s Association of the North Ok Tedi Trust region recently opened a Community Learning Centre at Wurinkanatko village, 96 kilometers away from Kiunga town.
President for Nupmo Women Association, Noni Dukumun with development partners and over 1000 community members, development partners and provincial government representatives, were present to witness the occasion.
The opening of the CLC signifies the completion of a key infrastructure project identified in the Nupmo Women & Children’s 5 Year Development Plan 2019-2023.
Association president, Noni Dukumun said the building is a legacy of leaders both past and present and represents the achievements of women in the community and North Ok Tedi.
“This is the fruit of the sweat, challenges and struggles women leaders face. We are happy this CLC is now open. I appreciate the support from our development partners for delivering the CLC to our community,” said Dukumun.
The visionary encouraged her community to use the facility well as it will bring learning, enhance people’s livelihood through skills training, and improve the look of the village, and support women and youths who are willing, to be part of the development process in the community and Western Province.
OTDF Executive Manager Programs Service, Eric Kuman gave credit to the efforts of women leaders and thanked landowner Denis Butkim, for allowing the infrastructure to be built on his land.
He challenged the community to maintain the building for current and future generations and affirmed that the project was a blueprint for development in the region. The Development Plan reflects the strong partnership and collaboration between all stakeholders.
“At the end of the day, we must invest and drive development. This action plan is uniform throughout the eight CMCA regions, so no association is left behind.
As the fund manager, OTDF is tasked to deliver the projects in an organised, safe and cost-effective manner. This centre will act as a centre of excellence for grassroots,” Kuman said.
Another CLC is expected to be built at Okma village. The learning centers were designed by OTDF Infrastructure Department and prefabricated by Atlas Steel in Port Moresby for easy deployment.
All CLCs built across all the Trust regions are identical and include solar power for electricity and two 5,000-liter tanks for water supply. The total cost for this CLC was K350,000.
The Wurinkanatko CLC is the first to have funded additional amenities, with two portable ventilated latrines installed, both connected to a safe underground septic tank.