Western Province

Women leaders want illegal activities investigated

Betty Wine, Women and Children’s Representative in the Fly River Provincial Government raised the concern following allegations of sexual abuse and increased unwanted pregnancies involving young local women in Kiunga.

Ms Wine, a member of the provincial executive council representing the health sector, expressed concern that there was rise in illegal activities including prostitution and pornography allegedly involving expatriates and people from other provinces working and living there.

OTML work towards environmental impacts

General Manager for Social, Performance and Sustainability and Chairman for Ok Tedi Development Foundation, Jesse Pile, shared the focus on Ok Tedi Mining Ltd’s on assisting environmental impacts in the surrounding communities of the Mine.

Adding that OTML will support farming and agriculture projects in the case of extending mine life in the province. OTML was part of the launch of the Kiunga Agro-Industrial Centre and Vanilla Project last on Friday 30th of June, 2023 at Samagoes, North Fly District.

Agriculture the way forward

During the launch of the Kiunga Agri-Industrial Centre and Vanilla Project Launch last Friday (30th of June) in Samagoes of North Fly District, people of Western are now aiming to turn to Agriculture as the way forward for their future.

Minister for Agriculture, Aiye Tambua, acknowledged the leaders of Western Province (WP), OTML and the Agro-Industrial Centre and Vanilla Project on behalf of the National Government.

Murr's Rainwater Harvesting Units

The units were funded by the Australian Government through the Western Province Partnership's Water Security Project.

The rainwater harvesting units were set up in selected communities confirmed from the hydrogeology survey and the District WASH committee as lacking groundwater sources. Murr was one of the villages identified as lacking groundwater sources and was earmarked by the South Fly District WASH committee to receive rainwater harvesting units.

Balimo’s ‘reliable’ midwife

She works alongside six community health workers and a male nurse.

Annie says they attend to five to six deliveries in a day, while two to three mothers deliver at home or on their way to the hospital.

“I find joy in myself if I do a procedure and it turns out successful and the mother and the baby are well,” she says.

Annie started working in the Balimo Hospital labour ward as a nurse in 2017, when there was no midwife. She was the only nursing officer among the community health workers.

CMCA Women fund school classroom

The Inclusive Early Childhood Education Program (IECEP) School of the St Johns Parish in the Ningerum LLG built their classroom from a K60,000.00 donation made by three North Fly Women and Children’s associations of the Community Mine Continuation Agreement (CMCA).

Callan Services Kiunga Special Education Program, in partnership with the Catholic Church’s Daru-Kiunga Diocese, received the funding in 2021 and began construction in 2022.

Rice project supports equal participation

The rice project is worth PGK3.8million and is funded through a Papua New Guinea-Australia Partnership Incentive Fund grant which supports women groups and families to trial rice production for consumption and commercial purposes.

The aim of the project is to scale up production and venture into processing and marketing at a larger scale. Communities who participated had the training in improved food production techniques and family business management and received support for building sustainable agribusinesses.

Church cleans up Kiunga town

This effort is part of the preparations for the upcoming PNG for Christ program next year.

Youths, missionaries, and church parents gathered in Kiunga town as early as 7 am equipped with spades, rakes, grass knives, and plastic bags to collect rubbish from the ground.

They collected and disposed of items such as empty boxes, tin cans, and betel nut remnants at the rubbish bin. The church members began cleaning the town from Sare Kona junction to the police station.

Western prepares to receive Ambassador Supandy

North Fly MP James Donald, who is also Vice Minister for Mining and Border Development, said Ambassador Supandy’s visit is a result of continued discussions between the province and the Indonesian Embassy on the border developments in Western, including investments and opportunities in commerce and trade.

Donald said the Indonesian Ambassador will first visit the Ok Tedi Mine in Tabubil, and Ambaga Border Post in North Fly, and further down to South Fly District.

Vehicle helps expand community presence

Chairman for MRCMCA Holdings Ltd, James Assan, said the vehicle will be used to access communities’ and expand community presence.

MRCMACA Holdings is under the Ok Tedi umbrella and holds 12 percent of the OK Tedi Mine shares for 152 villages from the Community Mine Continuation Agreement (CMCA) regions in the Western Province.

The CMCA regions are North Fly, Middle Fly, Kiwaba, Highway, North Ok Tedi, Suki Fly Gogo, Manawete and Dudi Region.