The long dry spell started in Morobe on June 2022, killing both food and cash crops in the village of Yuweng in Markham district.
More than 100 families of ward 20, in the Leron-Wantoat local level government, had no choice but to start searching for wild cassava that was growing in the bushes; a root vegetable that was normally fed to the pigs.
“Taim blo ren kam nau, mipla painim ol stik banana, painim ol samting lo planim lo nupla gaden,” said Pauline Wayaf. (When rain finally came, we looked for banana shoots and other food plants to plant in the new garden.)
“Mipla painim wanwan grow go antap, mipla pikim wanwan na go planim lo gaden. I go, i go na taim ren kam bikpla, sampla grow na mipla go planim ken lo gaden tasol i no redi.” (We picked them one by one and planted. When the rain fell and more shoots sprouted, we replanted those as well but they are not ready for harvest yet.)
The dry period ended in November 2022 however, as bananas and taros take a year to mature, villagers have no choice but to continue their cassava diet.
During that time, the provincial disaster centre helped once with bottled water, while World Vision also stepped in with rice and helped build their water, sanitation and hygiene facilities.
Gara Maraniari was very ill during the dry season, and with the withering of all their peanuts, coffee, cocoa and garden produce, she and her husband had no way of making money to pay for her medical bills.
“Mipla save kisim mani lo kakao,” she said. (We get money from selling cocoa.)
“Kakao sa sevim mipla, kofi sa sevim mipla, pinat sa sevim mipla na mipla no save bisi lo ol taun lain lo baim rais o helpim mipla lo kaikai.” (Cocoa saves us, coffee saves us and peanut too; money from those supports us and we do not need to seek assistance from relatives in town to buy our rice or feed us.)
She had to leave the ANGAU Memorial Provincial Hospital and return to the village as they could not afford her hospital bills, including medicine.
Her heart problem meant she could not climb hills or steep inclines, leaving the task of food gathering to her husband.
“Yu meri, bai yu go insait lo bus na painim kaikai. Man ya, em hat. (It’s not difficult for a woman to look for food in the bush. On the other hand, it’s complicated for a man.)
“Em bai go sanap tasol lukim olsem nogat kaikai lo gaden; banana olgeta buruk, taro em sting wantem graun. Yam em pinis wantem graun. Mipla bai kaikai weh? Kaukau em pinis. Graun nating.” (He’ll just go and stand in the garden and look around; banana trees have fallen, taro is rotting in the ground, yam is no more. What will we eat? There is no kaukau. It’s just dry ground.)
Those with relatives in Lae received some support while others had to rely on boiled water from cassava or other edible plants.
The villagers of Yuweng recently received 50 bales of 20kg bags of rice, donated by Trukai, on Sunday, 12th of March.
Widows were prioritised, receiving 10 packets of 1kg rice each while the rest either got five or two, depending on the number of dependents.
The villagers will still need support until their food crops mature early next year.