Locals of Kwalesekut village of Boana, in Morobe Province, now have access to safe drinking water.
The villagers proudly gathered on Friday, November 27th, to open their water, sanitation and hygiene stations.
The Morobe Provincial Government, in partnership with World Vision, opened a number of WaSH stations in the remote, mountainous village of Kwalesekut in the Nawaeb district.
Officiating at the event, on behalf of the governor, was his deputy, Willie Simbisi, who was accompanied by provincial administrator, Bart Ipambonj, and his three deputy administrators.
The large delegation was met with singing and dancing by an excited and well-organised village that provided masks and hand sanitising before placing leis on the guests.
Eighty-year-old member of the community, Ureng Lengkepe, was happy that he no longer has to worry about getting water to drink and wash as it is now right at his doorstep.
“Nogat strong blo mi; lek blo mi dai, baksait blo mi pen, mi sidaun tasol,” he stated. “Mi go longwe na waswas ya, em pinis. Nau wara kam klostu na mi bai hamamas na mi waswas.” (I no longer have any strength; my legs are tired, my back aches so I just sit. I no longer need to walk long distances to wash. Now that water has been brought here, I will happily wash.)
Equally grateful was Nawaeb district public servant, Gambeng Roneka, who outlined the challenges faced throughout the years when it comes to accessing safe water and improved sanitation.
“Insait lo 39 yias blo mi wantaim distrik, mipla i bungim hevi lo hia bikos wara em i no stap klostu lo ples. Narapla wara stap klostu em lo roadside, na narapla lo tamblo we em givim mipla bikpla hevi liklik taim mipla raun lo gaden, na mipla kambek, em mipla mas go lo wara. Na mipla sa filim bikpla pen.” (During my 39 years with the district, it was quite a challenge to get water. We have a water source near the roadside and another further down, which was an inconvenience especially after gardening.)
Roneka said women and girls in the village had to carry containers and pots and walk to the nearest source of water in the late afternoon after a long day in the garden.
He extended his gratitude to the facilitators of the WaSH programme, saying the village of less than 100 members no longer has to weather the elements.
The project was initiated at the village of deputy provincial administrator, corporate governance and management, Miring Singoling, who was commended for bringing the basic service into his community.
Meantime, deputy governor, Willie Simbisi, committed a further K50,000 to further complement the WaSH programme.
(Locals of Kwalesekut village during the event)
