The atoll islands of Ta’aku (Mortlock), Nuguria (Fead), Tulun (Carterets), Nukumanu (Tasman), and Nissan Island are the most remote of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville.
The inhabitants of these islands have to travel 200 to 500km to reach Buka, often sailing in open, treacherous seas and sustaining high fuel costs.
To bring services to these islands the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) has to charter a large vessel safe enough to transport public servants and large enough to allow the delivery of several different essential services in one trip.
Through the Community Government Institutional Strengthening Project (CGISP), a partnership initiative between the ABG Department of Community Government, the Australian Government and Government of New Zealand, the ABG chartered MV Athan Spirit to deliver solar light kits to over 3,000 island households.
Lighting up the Atolls and Nissan Island
The happiness of the mothers of Nuguria Island was evident on their beaming faces the first night the solar lights were switched on. Where previously they sat under cover of darkness or the light of the kerosene lamp, the mothers now sat under their solar lights, sharing time with family, while listening to their children nearby, excited to get a few additional hours of play and study in their little village.
Tulun Community Government chairlady Ms Imelda Kali said, “The idea of having solar lights for our village brought us together; everyone agreed that having solar lights will help make life easier and safer for everyone in our community. Every household in Tulun now has solar lights. They will help our children study at night and make household and communal tasks like cooking and weaving at night easier. The best thing about having solar lighting is that it is free, and we do not need to buy fuel.”
Mortlock Primary school students receiving reading books donated by Volunteer Services Abroad.
Supporting water security
In addition to delivering the household solar lighting kits, the charter also transported 25 water tanks for the islands under the Bougainville Community Grants Scheme (BCGS).
The BCGS, another partnership between the ABG Department of Community Development and the Australian Government and Government of New Zealand, is a competitive grants system that encourages community groups and local leaders to collaborate, identify local development projects and submit proposals to fund them.
Successful grant submissions to the BCGS from community groups in the islands resulted in 25 water tanks bound for the islands, a much-needed resource to store rainwater for their villages.
One-stop shop for essential service delivery for the islanders
The 21-day voyage to the islands allowed various ABG government departments, civil society and the private sector to provide their services to the islanders.
Mrs Belinda Gara-Labong, Secretary ABG Department of Community Government, said, “This partnership with Australia and New Zealand empowered the Department of Community Government to coordinate a whole of government response delivering much needed health-care services, delivery of relief supplies, education materials and law and order awareness to the people of the Atolls and Nissan Island.”
Teams from the Departments of Health, Education, Community Development, Community Government, the Police Service and Technical Services joined the voyage, taking their services to the islands.
Civil Society Organisations Bougainville Healthy Communities Program (BHCP), Callan Services, the Volunteer Service Abroad (VSA), and the Bougainville Catholic Diocese also used the opportunity to visit their projects and activities in the islands.
Callan Connect Program Director, Ms Baeau Tai, was happy with the opportunity for the program to visit the islands, “Australia and New Zealand fund this program for Callan Services to provide eye-care services, 108 islanders presented for eye tests, and we were able to distribute 19 eyeglasses to those identified as visually impaired.”
The villages were centres of activity as immunisation, health checks, family planning services, eye clinics and dental services took centre stage. Docking at each island, islanders eagerly assisted with transporting the medical supplies, schoolbooks and other supplies from the boats to the shore. Teachers happily received updates on the school curriculum, public servants walked around conducting assessments of government infrastructure, and the villagers were just happy to interact with public servants and receive much-needed essential services.
Also on board the ship were relief supplies, including 2.6 tonnes of rice, to be distributed to families under the disaster relief program coordinated by the ABG Department of Community Government.
As the 21-day voyage ended, Ta’aku Paramount Chief Siwa Tukiteata said, “Please relay the atoll peoples’ heartfelt gratitude to the ABG and the Australian and New Zealand governments. The faraway distance between our islands and the lack of shipping services to Buka means that we are quite disadvantaged out here, especially for options for income-generating activities that can improve our livelihoods. We are delighted with the assistance that has brought solar lights to our households and villages. This benefits all of us, men, women and children, thank you.”
The team on arrival at Buka Wharf after the 21-day voyage.
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