A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU TO ALL OUR DONORS FOR THIS MILESTONE !
What a truly fabulous effort! Every cent you give goes directly to the supply of building materials, and any extra tools needed, for these cookhouses in PNG. The 2014 request from the village women of Margarima to Fiona Lennox for help was the key beginning of this project. Now we have funded two completed cookhouses, and a third close to completion, in three provinces of the Highlands of Papua New Guinea-Pumakos EP, Ouamug WHP and Golgme in the Chimbu. We have $7000 left in the bank in a special purpose operational account and that is for the payment and transport of three woodstoves, one sink and some household supplies for the cooks. Had not Fiona organized a team of us to go to PNG five years ago, possibly none of this would have happened. The contribution that we make for a better world has a way of generating so much more. Thank you so much!
GOLGME COOKHOUSE NEARS COMPLETION!
Fr John Bike, parish priest of Goglme texted Sunday, 23/6/19, “about the cookhouse project at Goglme parish ; this week we'll work on plumbing system and painting and to install tables, shelves, gas stove and cylinder. Generally the house will be complete at the end of this week.– its our pride, it already took shape, thanks a lot. God bless.” He will thank the workmen on our behalf and congratulate them on completing the project so quickly. As it rains most afternoons in that high mountainous region, this community has enthusiastic workers!! We will have photos of them and their cookhouse later this year.
AN UPDATE ON INCORPORATION
Readers might remember that in our last issue , we advised that we had drafted and lodged a submission for incorporation. Since our last newsletter, we have had some really interesting and helpful discussions and progressed in defining the key issues that need to be worked through on this pathway to Aust Charities & Not for Profits Commission registration. That step would enable us to seek the status of tax deductibility for donations, which would be a great help to many donors. We will keep working on governance and ACNC registration and hopefully will have more definite news for you next issue
To Papua New Guinea in September
It’s time to visit these villages where your donations are at work- the wonderful workmen who built their cookhouses, the women who are the beneficiaries and managers of the new cookhouses. The visit is self-funded or on funding independent of our donations account. The assessment team, viz.,Enza Angelucci, our honorary architect, Weston Lewis, and environmental engineer, Sandra Young who has a great interest in rural women’s agricultural efforts and myself, Sr Margaret, also will visit Mendi, the capital of Southern Highlands to talk there about future cookhouses for some villages in that region, which was so devastated by the 2018 earthquake. Following the on-site visits, we will have plenty of pics for you to enjoy, which will publish here and link them on an update of our website as well, so that you can enjoy your contribution in helping these women who have so little by comparison with ourselves. We will produce a formal evaluative review of the project to date in the latter part of this year to demonstrate the feasibility and reliability of these CTAL projects.
A New Prime Minister for Papua New Guinea
Newly elected James Marape is the eighth Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea since Independence in 1975. Three served more than one term. (Australia has had 10 in the same period, beginning with the dissolution of the Whitlam government). He has been a member of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea since July 2007, representing the electorate of TariPori Open in Hela Province in the highlands. The women of Margarima, who first asked us to help with village cooking are also in Hela province. You can find Tari, to the left of Mt Hagen, in this map below.
