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Country profile: Papua New GuineaLocated just south of the equator, and directly to the north of Australia, Papua New Guinea (PNG) is rich in Natural Beauty.
Smoking volcanoes, rainforests and abundant wildlife are just some of the features of the country, which was thought to be first inhabited at least 50,000 years ago by settlers from Asia. Traditionally, the population lived in small groups scattered amongst the mountainous land, cut off from each other - as a result, there are over 700 indigenous languages spoken in PNG. Oxfam Community Aid Abroad has a long history of working in PNG, dating back to the 1960s. Today, our programs focus on two areas: helping people to protect their livelihoods, and work around HIV/AIDS. Protecting Livelihoods affected by miningIn recent decades, PNG has experienced an influx of foreign companies moving in to extract natural resources such as copper, gold, oil and hardwoods. There are five major foreignowned mines in the country, which have had a huge impact on local people. While mining presents opportunities for economic benefit, in the form of infrastructure and employment, there can sometimes be serious negative social and environmental consequences.We are providing funding to the non-government organisation Environment Watch Group, an organisation which takes action to research and report the effects of mining companies working in PNG. The centre works with communities around mine sites to help local people understand their rights and take up their concerns. The NGO Environment Watch Group is in close consultation with our Mining Ombudsman, who works to raise the concerns of communities affected by mines operated by Australian companies around the world. Matilda Koma, founder of the Environment Watch Group, says: "I have conducted research for communities near the mine sites and found that the water has been polluted by rubbish from the mines – there is a high level of heavy metals in the water, which is very bad for health. We are trying to push for compensation for the local people." Improving Livelihoods in isolated communitiesOur work in PNG to protect people's livelihoods also includes working with isolated rural communities to ensure they can access enough food and income during the year. Through the Farmer First Network, which is based in the Solomon Islands and includes farmers in the Solomon Islands, we are supporting a network of non-government organisations in PNG to work together to develop new ways of increasing the availability of food.New crops have been adopted from other parts of the world, and changes have been made to cropping systems to maintain a balance between subsistence and cash needs. HIV/AIDSAn estimated 10,000 to 15,000 people are currently infected with HIV in PNG. Australia, with a population five times that of PNG, has only 12,000 HIV positive people1. HIV/AIDS is not just a health problem; it can have a serious impact on the social, cultural and economic fabric of society.Our partner in PNG, the HELP Resource Centre, is part of the response to HIV/AIDS. Based in the East Sepik province, the HELP resource centre provides sexual health counselling to the local community. The sexual health counsellors work closely with the hospitals, the local AIDS committee and women's refuges to raise awareness and knowledge of sexual health and the prevention of HIV. For more information about our work in PNG and the Pacific, visit www.oxfam.org.au/world/pacific/png.For more information about our Mining Ombudsman and the effects of Australian mining companies around the world, visit www.oxfam.org.au/campaigns/mining. |
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School children shelter from the afternoon rain at Uiaku School. Oxfam Community Aid Abroad worked with
its partner the Environmental Law Centre to protect their forest from logging. Photo: Martin Wurt/OxfamAUS.