Please find below an over view of the Rotary projects in Southern Highlands of PNG.

With significant help from the Rotary Clubs of Mount Martha, Warrnambool Central, Hervey Bay City and Ocean Grove we have made major steps forward in three villages that were in dire straights with no readily available water. Komea once had water from a spring but that was wrecked in an earthquake and the villagers then had to walk a 4km round trip to bring water from a polluted creek which was really unfit to drink. With funding from Rotary and the work done by the villagers, Komea now has an enhanced supply from the spring and water capture from roofs to tanks to taps throughout the village. It was from Komea that a villager told us in a phone call of his grandmothers excitement having never ever in her life seen water come from a tap. The Komea project was completed in around 6 weeks, cost less than $20,000 and when I showed the photos and told the story to a local member of parliament he replied. “If we had done that it would have taken 6 months in revue, 3 years to complete and cost half a million dollars”. I guess tradies here can’t work on a tin roof in bare feet from a bamboo ladder.

We then received quotes from Sigri, a village in the coffee growing region out from Mt Hagen. Like Komea they had no easily accessible water. Moses brother, Timothy coordinated the project and Rotary funded it to install metal roofing, guttering, downpipes and tanks to capture a reliable water supply and pipe water to the village. The women of Sigri no longer walk a 3 km round trip to fetch water.

Then a request came from Ingin, a village high in the Southern Highlands beyond Komea with over 3,500 villagers scattered throughout the area. Ingin has a school for more than 600 children where Timothy teaches but it had no water and no toilets. To get tanks in place the villagers had to roll the 3 x 10,000 litre tanks 4 km up bush tracks and 3 km down the other side as the road is reduced to a rugged track once past Komea. They did a great job laying concrete bases, installing guttering and down pipes, the hand washing facilities and building boys and girls toilets. Nobody in Ingin has ever used a toilet and the students had to be taught how to use the toilets correctly. Between the three villages over 8,000 now have access to clean, safe water. “As the elder of Ingin Village said, "No government has ever done this." Only the Rotary Clubs are being uplifted throughout the Southern Highlands.
Poppy, the midwife, who delivers babies all over the region lives and works from a grass hut with a thatched roof and dirt floor and we are hoping to provide her with a new health centre when we can access sufficient funding. We sent Poppy 200 birthing kits, 100 of which went to a midwife in Komea. Since receiving those kits more than 200 babies have been born in the two villages and Timothy reports all without the loss of a single mother or child. We are planning to send 200 more birthing kits in the coming weeks.

Below from Timothy and Moses
It is my absolute pleasure to inform you all of the completion of the Ingin School water project, finished last week. This weekend has been even greater. Yesterday, many people throughout the Ingin community village joined in on the celebrations of Rotary's work in one of the remotest parts of PNG. Significant villagers, district school head, church pastor,local council members, school teachers, women and children came to witness Ingin first-ever help from anyone.
There were flower decorations, balloons, ribbon-cutting at various parts of the school ground, speeches, and thank-you ceremonies at the toilet block site, water tank sites, and tap stand sites. Each site featured speeches and gratitude directed towards the Rotary Club of Mount Martha, Rotary Club of Hervey Bay City, and Rotary Club of Warrnambool Central, with shouts of joy and cheers of "hip hip hooray!!!" Each heartfelt speech expressed gratitude towards Timothy on the ground, Ray, Jonathan, Roger, and Bore, praising the Rotary spirit and their amazing support. Timothy mentioned it was such an uplifting experience.

The event concluded with a traditional "Mumu" feast - food cooked on hot stones underground. A pig was killed to mark this special day. The entire Ingin community extends their greatest thanks, joy, and gratitude to all the Rotary members who have invested their time, money, and love in this wonderful project, which is already making a powerful impact. Rotary's name is now echoing throughout the Southern Highlands of Papua New Guinea.
The Ingin people expressed that they do not deserve it but are praising God. As the elder of Ingin Village said, "No government has ever done this." Only the Rotary Clubs are being uplifted throughout the Southern Highlands.

The latest development is that the Ingin villagers have received all the supplies to install water catchment on the first house in the village. Timothy says the installation will be complete in the coming week.