We are so excited to be a part of #GivingTuesday for the first time and will be thanking our fantastic and loyal existing supporters by running a social media campaign celebrating our achievements of the past 11 years. We also hope to engage and inspire new supporters to join in our efforts and enable us to scale up our work to create transformative, sustainable positive change in the lives of indigenous Papuan men, women and children.
Papua Partners was launched back in 2006 with the aim of equipping and enabling people to build better futures for their families and communities. Since then it is estimated that our work and the work of our partners has impacted the lives of over 100,000 Indigenous Papuans.
West Papua is the western half of the island of New Guinea and is the poorest province in Indonesia. 32% of the population lives below the poverty line and extreme poverty is widespread. The necessity to tackle poverty and injustice in West Papua is urgent and extensive and Papua Partners is fully committed to bringing about this essential change.
At Papua Partners we work with local organisations, communities, churches and individuals, through many avenues including training, facilitation and mentoring. Our ongoing programs include child and adult education; health and HIV/AIDS awareness; Church and Community Mobilisation (empowering communities to address local issues in a tangible and sustainable way), savings groups; small business development training and tackling gender-based violence. These and other positive initiatives are designed to improve livelihoods in a sustainable and self-perpetuating way.
Just a few of our achievements attained with our partners over the last 10 years include:
– Provision of basic education (literacy and numeracy) to over 8000 children in remote communities through Yasumat Parallel Schools Programme;
– Development and establishment of Eruwok Community Training Centre in Bokondini which is providing computer skills, handicraft training, as well as training health workers for 20 communities and setting up a thriving 300+ Member Savings Group;
– A significant reduction in maternal and child mortality has been achieved in partnership with Yasumat through building the skills of over 200 rural health workers in Yahukimo, as well as raising awareness on HIV and AIDS in over 200 communities;
– Improved lives and livelihoods in over 100 communities through small business development and training, small animal raising, savings groups and water supply;
– Trained skilled facilitators from 40 different churches to establish and sustain a Church, Community and Change process which has seen communities start to reconcile long held disputes, build roads and infrastructure, fix the houses of poorer members and mobilise their youth for positive and impactful community action.
We’d love you to join in by following and sharing us on Facebook or Twitter this #GivingTuesday!
If you’d like to donate to support our work please visit www.papuapartners.org/donate
