Sunday, November 8, 2009

More on PMIZ

If you are interested in following the controversial Pacific Marine Industrial Zone (PMIZ), check out the very insightful blog of fellow American and Anthropologist Nancy Sullivan, who as been living in PNG for over 19 years.

http://www.nancysullivan.typepad.com

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Halloween PNG Style

We celebrated Halloween by hosting a great party with people from 13 different countries coming together to show off their costumes!






I think Marleen, Jolanda and I had the most fun going to the second hand shops and buying all the costumes for our neighbors (and those who dared to come without a costume). 







Of course we had a good time trying them all on ourselves first!



We had fun carving watermelons




 Stephanie and Dunston were proud of their watermelons!


And the neighbor kids loved bobbing for passion fruit! 





My favorite costumes of the night were Ben and Federica's...Madang's famous flying foxes!

The Beach House


VSO's Country Director and her partner invited us out to their beach house.





We left from the Madang Fishing Club with our reels ready.


It's not a hard life at the beach house.  You float right up to the deck bar for a cold SP!

You soak up the sun after a swim around the lagoon.




And there is plenty of food and cheers to go around!

Alexishafen and the Ramu Valley

My work with Inclusive education has taken me to two buzzing areas of Madang this week. To Alexishafen, where an industrial marine zone is underway and to the Ramu Valley where nickel is mined and other resources are exported from the Country.

The first part of the week I was in Alexishafen to promote early childhood education. I helped facilitate a training targeting community leaders from remote villages throughout Madang. These leaders form the committee that governs the Kindergarten schools in their villages. These men, some of whom never had the opportunity themselves to learn to read or write, have taken a step forward to ensure the children of their communities have the educational opportunities they never had.


Alexishafen is a Catholic Mission station about 25km north of Madang along the North Coast road. It is also the site of a highly controversial National Government initiative to create an industrial port. Many local landowners from the villages surrounding the area are against the Pacific Marine Industrial Zone (PMIZ). My knowledge on this topic is limited to what I read in the National papers and from conversations with others. I believe the intention is to create a ‘zone’ which will enable numerous Pacific and South East Asian Countries to fish PNG and Pacific waters, bring massive ships into Madang’s harbor destroying the reefs and the villagers fishing livelihoods, and build fishing canneries to process the fish and dump their toxins into PNG waters, and export the fish across the world. Basically, that is PMIZ in a nutshell. I am obviously biased, environmentally conscious, and sincerely concerned about the livelihoods of the People of PNG.


The second part of the week I joined John and Marshall from the VSO education team to visit two schools in the Ramu Valley. Traveling along the South Coast road following the nickel pipeline I noted significant changes from last year. There are increased amounts of Chinese workers, heavy machinery and hard physical labor of local community members. The Ramu Valley is abundantly rich in oil, gold, nickel, and particularly in land for the production of palm oil, cows, and sugar cane.


The two school visits were extremely fruitful. As always when I contact head teachers, they say they do not have children with disabilities in their schools. And as always they are surprised when I identify over 10% of their students with special needs. And even more surprised when substantial numbers of children from the surrounding communities who do not attend school are identified through child-to-child activities.

Garim, the first school I visited was quite large, with 23 teachers and over 1,000 grade 3-8 students. All classrooms are on stilts and inaccessible for children with difficulties in mobility. Unfortunately, brainstorming efforts did not result in the simple solution of building ramps when I asked how they could make the school more accessible. It was encouraging to discover two teachers had received previous training in special education; but dispiriting to see they are not practicing the skills they have been taught.

We stayed the night in the valley in a room attached to a local church, well John and Marshall did. The Pastor’s wife insisted I stay in their house, as it is improper for a young, unmarried woman to sleep any where near men. I joined her and her 5 children on a mat on the floor, while Marshall and John enjoyed sleeping on mattresses with sheets to protect them from the strong valley winds. I sat through a long-winded devotion after dinner. It was only when I heard the reading of John 3:16 in Pidgin that I realized the significance of the verse for Papua New Guineans, where children especially male children are so valuable to the family.

I thought of Richard’s story after seeing him earlier that afternoon. Richard lives in Madang town, but he is staying with an Aunt in the valley to seek sponsorship from the Ramu Nickel Mining Company in order to buy a new wheelchair for the upcoming PNG Games. Richard is a PNG gold medalist in weightlifting and track. When Richard told me his story of how he lost his legs, my heart skipped a beat. When receiving his vaccinations there was a mistake. The only option given to Richard’s family was amputation above the right knee and below the left knee. Richard said his father, in all his fury, chased the doctors and nurses around the hospital with a bush knife screaming “My only son, my only son!”

Before leaving the following morning, the Pastor’s wife gave me a bilum from her village in the Highlands made of kaskas fur. My bilum collection is growing fast!


We climbed back in the Cruiser to Walim Primary. Walim is a much smaller school than Gusap with only 10 teachers and 130 students grade 3-8. With a school of this size, I was able to do child-to-child activities in each class. Through role-playing, games, drama, and group discussions, the children were able to understand what it feels like to be excluded. They were able to talk about ways to include all children in school. And together we were able to identify over 60 children who are not attending school from their villages. In an effort to increase enrollment, the teachers went out into the villages to conduct awareness on children’s rights and the importance of education for the future of their communities.

In two resource-rich districts of Madang, we were able to identify numerous out-of-school children. Hopefully we can build a future full of educational opportunities for PNG children who will be able to manage these resources and the changes that come with them.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

The Road to School

The road to school for most PNG children is extraordinary. They face many barriers and travel great distances. Inclusive Education works to make that road less difficult to travel.

I was eager to get my idol hands into other projects while waiting for the Provincial Government to move forward with the logistics of the inclusive education training program. The Country Womens Association (CWA) and their work with early childhood education immediately came to mind. I first worked with the CWA when I facilitated a training back in March for the teachers of the 15 Kindergarten Long Ples schools. So, I organized a meeting with the CWA and they were happy to include me into their outreach programs.

My first outreach was along the South Coast in Garim Village. The children of this village gather under a mango tree for school. The two teachers and their helper take advantage of the wide-open space to play games and sing songs with over 40 children. I was told there were three children with hearing impairments in the village; however they did not attend school. When I asked, the teachers were happy to walk me to the children’s houses. When we didn’t find them at their houses, I asked the teachers to walk me to their gardens. The teachers were surprised I would go to so much effort to see the children. When crossing the river to the gardens I was warned of the crocodile that had eaten a dog the night before. Unfortunately no one warned me of the sand flies and I was eaten alive!

Recently, our team traveled up the North Coast to three remote villages in Madang's inland. I had no idea I would be walking for days, climbing up and down mountains and crossing rivers that reached my chest. My heart pours out to the children who walk these great distances along mountainous terrains just to satisfy their hunger for knowledge. The everyday struggle I witnessed of the people of Butelgut, Kamba and Bidimai villages will not be soon forgotten.

Our outreach team targeted a variety of activities including health promotion, screening for disabilities and early childhood education. In an effort to prevent the further spread of cholera in PNG, our team educated the children of the importance of washing their hands before eating. We encouraged the children to brush their teeth by distributing toothbrushes donated by the Rotary Club. To promote child friendly, inclusive schools, I read some children's books I had recently written with stories about children with disabilities and the things they can do. We gathered leaves and shared stories about the different colors, shapes and sizes of our leaves, but regardless of their differences they are still leaves. We gave compliments to all our friends to learn that it is never okay to make fun of children with disabilities.

During our stay in Bidimai Village, we slept in a house made of bamboo above the kindergarten school. One night we were shaken awake by a massive earthquake. Fearful the entire structure would fall to the ground, we jumped up from our mats and headed down to safety. My legs were so sore I barely made it down the makeshift ladder. Without any form of communication, no mobiles, land lines or radios, we were completely unaware of the tsunami warnings issued for Madang. Luckily we were safe in the mountains!

The village elders called me "win meri" saying that I made history. I was the second ‘Western’ woman to ever reach this remote village. The first was an Italian backpacker in 2007. News of the arrival of a specialist in disabilities quickly brought people from the surrounding villages to see me. I identified children with vision, hearing and physical disabilities. Bradly in particular won my heart. He is 3 years old and appeared to have the characteristics of a child with cerebral palsy. Initially he cried when I, the strange white woman, reached out for him. But soon he was reaching out for my balloons and candy as I demonstrated various exercises to strengthen his muscles. As I taught his mother additional exercises to continue at home and ways to encourage his speech, the crowd around us grew. The community was interested to see what Bradly could do. Soon the community was working together to build a chair to help stabilize his body and a set of rails that will help him learn to stand.

On our journey back to Madang we followed the Gum River and took our time to swim and wash. We caught prawns and gathered ferns along the river banks for our dinner that night. We celebrated the end of a successful week with a huge feast and in true PNG custom I was given gifts of bilums and wooden bowls.

Although I prefer the villages to Madang town, I will always appreciate bathing without being fully dressed and the luxury of sitting on a toilet.

I plan to continue working with the Kindergarten outreach program in addition to the teacher training program to promote Inclusive Education. Over a month ago my project proposal was approved by the Education Department; however, things seem to be moving slow. Although I have been told there is money in the budget allocated to a training of trainers project of this scale, I have yet to see any concrete evidence that the project can be implemented across the Province.

Being the social networker that I am, I shared my difficulties over a few drinks with an engineer working with Heli Nuigini, a local helicopter company. He was inspired by my work and shared my story with his boss the next day. Before I knew it I was discussing the inclusive education project over dinner and drinks at the fishing club with a crew of Heli Nuigni engineers and pilots. Networking obviously paid off as it looks like Heli Nuigini is interested in supporting inclusive education efforts in Madang!

The road to school is long with tall mountains to climb and deep rivers to cross. But we push on to pave the way and create new paths to follow along the road to school for PNG's most vulnerable children.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Another episode from Coronation Drive

Two weeks of school holiday + idol teenagers = tattoos of course! With nothing better to do than take the outrigger canoe out for fishing, Roland decided to give Dagma a tattoo. They used ink from a pen and a needle to put the cross on his arm. As I have stated before,infections are inevitable in the tropics, however the traditional cure of squeezing papaya juice in the wound didn't seem to be healing things. When the children and I were chasing the roosters around the garden, I noticed the infection had gotten worse. Grille, a very common skin disease here in PNG, had gotten into the wound. Joshua and Lily are covered in grille, so it is no surprise with all the children in the house that it spread to Dagma’s open wound. Now, after a few lessons in how to clean wounds and several days of antibiotics, his arm is looking better.

Grace, a small girl with the most beautiful eyes has come to join her older sister Regina, both from Mt Hagan. The first week she did nothing but cry. Age is not deemed an important identifying characteristic here, but from observing Grace’s developmental milestones I would guess her to be around 2-2 ½ . I would guess Regina to be in her upper teens. She doesn’t attend school here in Madang, but says she completed grade 6 in Hagan. In the States I was very good at determining a child’s age, but here this proves to be extremely difficult. Emily left again without a word. When I asked about her, they simply said she left.

My plot against the roosters has certainly developed. While in the Highlands for the Goroka festival, I bought a bow and arrow. Although I had a few lessons, I never managed to do anything more than send the roosters running. I support urban local level governance against raising chickens in towns. Probably not the best solution or the most ethical, but in a moment of frustration I offered Erik 50 Kina to get rid of the roosters. One can buy a rooster at the market for 20 Kina. An hour later Roland came to the veranda with a dead rooster in his hands. I handed over the 50 Kina and when he released his hand from the rooster’s neck, the presumably dead rooster began to struggle. It didn’t suffer long as the family was soon enjoying a feast! Now we are down to one rooster who supposedly belongs to the neighbors behind our compound. This rooster and his owners have been warned. His days of “cock-a-doodle-do”ing under my window before sunrise are numbered. I will soon be able to add ‘master archer’ to my résumé.

Dolly has proven to be a hunter. Unfortunately roosters aren’t on the list of the many gifts she brings to our door. Mice, birds, lizards and geckos are her favorite. Scooby has fattened up and no longer eats with her tail between her legs. Belden, who we thought lost her pregnancy, just had a litter of 6 puppies. Scooby isn’t taking too well to Belden sharing her canned dog food. My intentions are not to feed all 4 dogs, but just to supplement the diet for the ones who need it most. I am slowing weaning Scooby, however, she tries her best to sneak through the screen and bars on the back door for Dolly’s dish.

The neighbors to our right -the ones with the screaming alarm- have decided to convert the front house on their compound into a 4-room guesthouse. Unfortunately, they have removed all the lush tropical trees and plants from their garden to make room for the extension. With housing continuing to be a growing concern here in Madang, I understand why they would make this real estate investment. At 100 Kina a night for a room facing the sea, they will have no problems with bookings and will profit greatly.

Water. Those who know me well understand my efforts to conserve water. Our house has two enormous rainwater tanks, but when we first arrived the pump didn’t work so we used the town water supply. Months later we received our first water bill…Outrageous! Turn to find out there was a leak in the pipe in the back garden leading to the family’s water source. New Zealand contractors, who were hired by the Chinese owner of the house to remodel the downstairs apartment, agreed to replace the pump and repair the pipe. Problem solved…we assumed. Blackouts are our only concerns now. Several times a week, when there is no electricity to run the pump, we have the option to switch to town water with a flip of a switch and turn of a faucet at the main water supply near the road. Okay, simple enough. All was going well until a coconut fell from a tree and burst the pipe..again! Roland has made attempts to wrap the pipe, but the leak causes the pump to run continuously…and our electricity meter ticks on. We tried switching to town water to conserve electricity, but the water sprays even stronger from the leaky pipe…and our water meter ticks on. Damn coconuts!

Sunday, September 27, 2009

The effects of the Cholera outbreak here in Madang

Cholera cases have been identified in the general hospital. To help prevent the spread of this preventable disease precautionary measures have been put in place. The Madang Festival was cancelled. Buai stands were forced to close. With PNG’s buai craze, this lasted about an hour (give or take). I will quote my neighbor-the one on the left that sells beer on the black market- “if we close our buai markets how will our children eat? And these men who gave the notifications had mouths full of buai themselves. So, we have no choice but to keep our markets open.” And when I say market, think of a wobbly table under a tree. The fish market selling smoked fish and kai bars selling flour balls, potato wedges, rice, lamb flaps, etc were closed. And individuals themselves were taking every precaution. I met with a teacher to plan an in-service and she greeted me with a gloved hand (without sequins).