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State, Society and Governance in Melanesia Project
Australian National University

The Ambunti District Women's Council: Problems and Successes

by
Mrs Theresia Hopkos
President, ADCOW

12 November 1998
 

I:  Introduction

Papua New Guinea is one of those Island Nations in the South Pacific which practise Melanesian cultural ways of life. It has more than 700 languages with complicated cultures and customs. Ambunti District alone has 10 different languages of which I represent KOUMA dialect.
 

While participating in this Workshop, I also represent women in Papua New Guinea from Ambunti, East Sepik Province, and further those who are in the vast, rural, remote areas, rather than those who are in the urban centres.
 

Ambunti District Council of Women was formed almost 5 years ago in 1993.
 

My elected role as President is to co-ordinate and organize District Executive Meetings on a quarterly basis, and to facilitate Awareness Programs within my respective Area Associations with every individual women present at the programs.
 

II Awareness Programs include as follows:

1. Health Education

2. Political Education

3. Violence Against Women, etc.
 

Health Education
 


Political Education
 


Violence against Women
 


III:  Activities

My Area Association Presidents are also playing major roles in organizing Women's groups in their respective Area Associations.
 

They advise them to share handicrafts amongst themselves so that every women knows the idea in dozens of different ways, handicrafts like bilum (string bag)-making, weaving mats and basket, etc.
 

Area Presidents visit Women Groups only by paddling in dugout canoes from one village to another.
 

Almost all villages are situated 15 to 25 kilometres apart, in their locations.
 

Why I organize Awareness Programs is because villagers are illiterate.
 

Evidently there is a need for Adult Literacy Training Programs to be conducted in the villages, within the area.
 

My Area Association Executives have workedso hard for the past 5 years since the Association was formalized.
 

All my Area Executives have sacrificed to serve their fellow women on a voluntarily basis since it is not a paid job, including myself. We do it for the sake of women and human development.
 

At times it is an annoyance to our husbands because being a mother we neglect our husbands and children, especially when the programs take 1 to 2 weeks and so forth.
 

Women is my District and the area are very talented when they develop various skills in their own ways.
 

IV: Our Problem Areas
 

  1. We do not have a Women's Centre in the District where we can have our meetings, training workshops, seminars and display our handicrafts for tourists and other interested buyers.

    2.  
  2. There is a need for allowances to fairly compensate organizers for their roles and the sacrificial services that they voluntarily deliver.

    3.  
  3. Funds (finance) are definitely required to activate the Awareness and Adult Literacy Training Programs more effectively.

    4.  
  4. Whom do we source funds from?


These are our problem areas as highlighted. We do badly need assistance and to address what means of assistance are available from any sources, that anyone can think of.
 

I have gained lots of my leadership experiences and quality from the Religious Programs organized by the denomination to which I belong - the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The Church provides a dramatic source of education and knowledge that builds our characters and know how. This applies not only to me but to the other Association Presidents as well.
 

Government assistance is very rare. It is allocated through the Community Development Division but is normally used up in the Urban Centres, whilst rural areas are operating by whichever means are available. For the past 5 years up until now we have never experienced such a funding assistance from the government.
 

Sometimes free handouts only come by means of buying votes during the election period.
 

Being female in Melanesia and women in Papua New Guinea especially in the rural remote areas, we see ourselves first, then the Churches and then citizens.
 

We get less as citizens and serve more as Christians and citizens, and get served as women the least.
 

I present this paper based on the actual women's activity and the actual problems on the ground, thus presented at the International Level with every hope that it will be feasible to find some form of assistance to assist us and overcome these problematic areas.
 

The Structure of the Ambunti District Council of Women

I.  Organizational Structure

1. District Women Executive:

- President;

- Vice President;

- Secretary or Admin. Assistant
 

 2: The Area Association Executive:
- President
- Vice President
- Secretary/Treasurer


3. The 11 Area Associations are each comprised of 13 to 15 Women's Groups and each Group consists of 50 to 100 individual members.
 

II. Area Associations
 
Number Name of Area Associations Number of Women's Group Female population in each area
1 Avatip
15
2,000
2 Ambunti Rural
15
2,500
3 Ambunti Urban
10
1,500
4 Black Wara
12
2,050
5 Numau
30
3,000
6 Wogomus
13
1,200
7 Upper Sepik
14
1,000
8 Iwam
13
900
9 Wasam
13
800
10 May River
15
900
11 Hunstein Range
16
1,100

 

III FIELD VISITS, DISTANCE AND COST FACTORS: COMPARABLE TABLE FROM THE DISTRICT CENTRE
 
From the Centre to Hours by outboat motor Hours by paddling Hours by walking Distance Cost
1. Avatip 20 minutes 3 hours Not accessible 20 km Kina 80
2. Ambunti Rural 1 hour   1 hour 80 km K150
3. Black Wara 3 1/2 hours 12 hours 8 hours 110 km K115
4. Numau 4 hours 2 days 2 days 200 km K200
5. Wogomus 8 hours Not possible Not possible 250 km K275
6. Upper Sepik 2 1/2 hours Not possible Not possible 80 km K110
7. Iwam 9 hours Not possible Not possible 260 km K320
8. Wasam 9 hours Not possible Not possible 260 km K320
9. May River 12 hours Not possible Not possible 380 km K598
10.Hunstein  5 hours Not possible Not possible 260 km K334

Obviously Ambunti District is unlike other Inland Districts. It is situated along the Sepik River bank and the bulk of the population is spread out along the rivers, which are the only accessible means to the Main Centres and to obtain goods and services. Hence we cannot avoid the cost factors and the only way is to afford to meet costs and continue to serve most of the people.
 

Likewise the programs are usually scheduled on a quarterly instead of a monthly basis, so that any available resources, sourced from elsewhere, are but put to better and meaningful use.
 

I am sure there will be more focus on this case since the District has been classified a growth centre in view of the Frieda Mine and other underlying major project proposals.
 

Those eleven (11) Area Associations structured here are all well established and formalized and are operable to date.

The continual field visits and follow up programs, essential with the new changes and developments, are lacking because of the unavailability of operational resources like finance.
 

Finance means:

- Field Workers' Allowance

- Field Rations

- First Aid

- Materials

- Hire of Outboat Motor and Canoe

- Fuel Cost

- Operators' Allowance

- Air or Road travel to Provincial HQ

- Accommodation

- Allowance, etc.

I believe these should not be seen as obstacles but may be made possible through better planning, co-ordination and - absolutely essential - Government and Non-Government Organization assistance.
 

[Last updated 28 April 99]
Copyright © Theresia Hopkos 1999
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