Emmaus Farm
The Western Province is the largest in PNG by area, with many remote villages only accessible by the Fly River and its many tributaries. As with other remote communities in PNG, balancing subsistence needs with limited income generating opportunities can prove to be quite challenging.
Additional challenges facing the people of Western Province range from malaria, to large numbers of West Papuan refugees, to massive environmental damage from the Ok Tedi mine, to the mine inflating the price of many goods beyond local people’s budgets.
Emmaus Farm provides training for young men from across Western Province. They learn a variety of sustainable agriculture and lifestyle skills, which they can use to improve their local villages’ sustainability, with economic, education and health benefits for the whole community.
Gilles Cote, the Bishop of Daru-Kiunga, has requested a Manager for Emmaus Farm with skills in agriculture, education and administration to help develop current and new programs and train local staff to take over management in the coming years.
Des Hansen
Palms Australia recruited Des Hansen, a retired teacher to work in Kiunga for two years. He will work closely with local staff, sharing skills and expertise and contributing to the long-term vocational and academic education development of Tapini.
Des has over 35 years experience teaching in rural schools in Victoria. He has taken leadership roles at a number of schools and has experience in mentoring and assisting colleagues.
Des also has significant expertise in agriculture, and has volunteered in rural PNG before, making him very well suited to the role.
Palms Australia needs your help to cover the costs of placing Des as a volunteer for two years. To make a contribution, please use the donate button on the right of the page.
Once more into the fray
December 9, 2011
Volunteering can be both a challenging and immensely rewarding experience. Few returnees would claim to remain unchanged by the experience. Some, such as Des Hansen, from Foster in Victoria, and Monica Morrison from Mollymook, NSW, value the experience so much that they return for another placement. Each is well aware of the sorts of challenges they will face, though the specifics are different each time, but each can see that they again can be part of meaningful change by plunging in again.
Monica Morrison has previously volunteered with the Catholic Teachers College (CTC) in Baucau in Timor-Leste. While there she worked with trainee teachers and lecturers at the college, sharing her expertise in education and psychology and sharing in the expertise of her East Timorese colleagues in what works, or does not work, in East Timor. Monica’s presence, guidance and enthusiasm was greatly appreciated by those with whom she worked.
Now Monica is readying herself for departure to work with Edmund Rice Sinon School (ERSS) in Arusha, Tanzania. Like CTC Baucau, Edmund Rice has a long history with Palms Australia and Monica will be the latest in a series of volunteers who have contributed to improved education for the children of Tanzania. Interestingly, Monica will be joining two more “repeat” Palms volunteers in Arusha, Kathy Brick, also at ERSS and Jenny Ferris, at Food Water Shelter.
Des will be joining three other Palms volunteers in Kiunga, John Gartner, Paul Tan and Esther Sim, who are working on improving the programs of the Diocese of Daru-Kiunga, which include Emmaus Farm. Again, this is a long-term partner of Palms Australia, with numerous volunteers over the years responding to challenges in youth work, education and sustainable agriculture. Des will be a welcome addition to an ongoing partnership which is making a real, positive difference in people’s lives.
Des and Monica are not unique in returning to the field – there are over 100 volunteers who have done more than one placement with Palms Australia – but each time someone returns to volunteer again, we are excited to receive them. Those who have volunteered before often have a headstart because while there may still be culture jolts, we know they have the tools to work through them. Provided they don’t expect each experience to be the same, they can be more effective in their work exchanging skills. Repeat volunteers are more likely to be motivated out of a sense of solidarity and enjoyment of other cultures, which appear to be more indicative than other motivations of effective cross-cultural engagement. Furthermore, the willingness of volunteers to return to Palms serves as an endorsement that, at least, we as an organisation are getting something right. Such feedback from our volunteers complements the positive feedback we receive from our partner agencies and encourages us that we are successful in achieving our three-point mission.
As always, we must remind our readers that our work relies on your support. While, Monica’s placement is largely funded (though not entirely) by AusAID and ERSS, we must cover the entire cost of Des’ placement from our own networks. The Diocese of Daru-Kiunga has agreed to provide accommodation and a modest living allowance to Des, but we still need assistance covering costs such as flights, insurance and support. By covering these small amounts, in 2012 we will provide a full year’s worth of expert labour to ERSS and Emmaus Farm. You can donate directly to support our work in Tanzania or PNG by selecting Monica or Des from the drop-down list on our donation page.
Des Hansen’s CommUNITY News no. 1
May 12, 2009
We did have phones at the school, but they blew up in June 2008 and we are still waiting for that connection with the world around us. Why I learnt how to send e-mails has got me beat. Deep down I can live without phones. I’ve always found them extremely aggravating and disruptive.
Write to Des Hansen
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To donate to support Des Hansen's placement in Kiunga, please use the form below. If you would like to make a general donation to Palms Australia, please use our dedicated donation page.
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Your donation will be placed towards the costs of sending and supporting Des Hansen as a volunteer in Kiunga. In the event that monies are raised above the amount required, Palms Australia will use them to support the placement of other volunteers. For more information contact Palms Australia.
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Or call us on (02) 9518 9551 to make a donation by phone. THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR WORK!Papua New Guinea
Population: 5,931,769
Area: 462,840 sq. km.
Median Age: 21.5
Literacy: 57.3 %
Languages: New Guinea Pidgin, English, Motu, 820 indigenous languages
The terrain of Papua New Guinea varies from its rugged mountainous spine to its beautiful beaches to its volcanic islands to one of the world’s largest swamps and the large river systems of the Sepik and Fly rivers. These geographical differences have created a unique country with many diverse cultures. The ties within a family [...]