Finschhafen community drives development

Finschhafen MP Theodore Zurenuoc (centre), representative of Community Development Scheme Tommy Polang (right), Judas Nalau, president of Yabim Mape LLG and a representative from Lutheran Development Services arriving at the opening of the new rice mill shed at Kangaruo last Thursday

Representative of AusAID's Community Development Initiative Tommy Polang (left) and rice farmers standing in front of the new rice mini rice milling shed which was opened last week at Kangaruo in Finschhafen

By SENIORL ANZU of NARI

The Kangaruo people in the Finschhafen district of Morobe have demonstrated that communities can achieve development themselves instead of waiting for politicians and the government all the time.
Last Thursday, they launched and celebrated a new permanent rice milling shed which was established through community initiative.
The new facility was built for housing an old Satake rice milling machine and storing of both harvested and milled rice.
Finschhafen MP Theodore Zurenuoc, who witnessed the launching programme, commended the villagers for driving the development process at village level using their own resources and available avenues instead of waiting for handouts.
The huge shed was built at the cost of K58, 000 of which AusAID’s Community Development Scheme (CDS) provided K48, 000 and the community contributed K10, 000 and mobilised and transported material on shoulder from Gagidu station to Kangaruo and eventually built the house themselves.
CDS supported the initiative after the community submitted a proposal.
Kangaruo is a remote village in the hinterland of Mape in the Yabim/Mape local level government (LLG) in Finschhafen.
As other parts of the district, this community of about 400 people has cultivated rice since its introduction in 1932 by early missionaries of the Lutheran Church at Simbang.
In 1988, former politician Utula Samana donated to the people the Satake machine after realising that the Kangaruo people were producing their own rice but using the tongtong technology which was laborious with limited output.
The milling machine was housed under a traditional shelter for 22 years, during which time the machine was operating non-stop with increased production every year.
The new shed was built only in 2007.
Huna Made, former project supervisor and current Yangpela Didiman Coordinator of Lutheran Development Services in Finschhafen, said the new shed was built because of increased production output by the machine every year which necessitated a better, bigger and secure house to keep the aging machine and store all the harvested and milled rice.
CDS representative Tommy Polang said the achievement was a show of commitment, ownership and co-operation displayed by the community.
Polang also encouraged everyone to work together for their own benefit in any other development efforts.
He further urged those present to change their minds and attitudes.
“We now celebrate the end of the establishment of this rice milling shed but we must also celebrate the start of change in Kangaruo,” Polang said.
Zurenuoc thanked CDS and AusAID on behalf of the people of Finschhafen for the different project supports towards the district.
He also congratulated the Kangaruo people for the community initiative and for initiating development themselves.
He said real development would happen when people were in the forefront with innovations towards community empowerment and improved livelihood.
Zurenuoc announced that in this year’s district budget, a central rice processing centre would be established in Gagidu for farmers to bring in their rice harvests together for processing and selling to possible markets outside of Finschhafen.
The process was already initiated with the set-up of a mini milling machine to sensitise the idea. He assured the people of Kangaruo that funding allocation was already in place for the rehabilitation of the abandoned road system into their village and to continue into the mountains.
Made said Samana donated a lot of machines to different parts of Finschhafen but almost all of them were out of operation presently and the one at Kangaruo seemed to be the only one operating.
He said with the new shed, its shelf life would be extended.
He said from 1988-98, their rice milling project was managed by a local business called Wasunga Business Group but the operation came under a new management team with board of directors from 1998 onwards.
“From 1999-2010, the total production output was 149, 881kg,” he said, “of which 20% of the total volume was sold for income and 80% was consumed by the growers themselves.”
This, he said, had achieved its purpose.
Made added that they achieved record production of 22, 340kg in 2003.
Among other guests who witnessed the occasion were Gemtasu Atusamu, LDS regional co-ordinator Fisika (Finschhafen, Siasi and Kabwum) region; Judas Nalau, Yabim Mape LLG president, leaders, and the Kangaruo community.