Australian Lutheran World Service in Papua New Guinea

The work of ALWS in PNG is a little different to what happens in other countries because work is carried out through the different departments of the Lutheran Church of PNG. ALWS begun development work in PNG in 2004 through the Church Partnership Program (CPP).

The Papua New Guinea CPP is an venture of collaboration between the seven largest Christian Churches in PNG and the governments of Australia and PNG. The seven churches involved are: The Lutheran Church The Anglican Church The Baptist Union The Catholic Church The Salvation Army The Seventh-day Adventist Church and The United/Uniting Church.

The Australian government, through it’s aid and development arm AusAID, have poured millions of dollars into this form of aid delivery. The program brings together seven Australian and PNG Churches across two countries. It works with hundreds of different parishes and congregations and numerous communities throughout PNG.

CPP provides programs to: – Strengthen PNG Churches institutional capacity for development – Improve service delivery to local communities; and – Enhance PNG Church involvement in improving governance. (Basically this means that ALWS are teaching people at all levels of the church how to run things better so that everyone’s living standard can improve.)

ALWS staff in PNG develop programs through the Evangelical Lutheran Church of PNG to help build the capacity and potential of the people. The Lutheran Church in PNG has over 1.1 million members, mostly in the Lae, Madang and Goroka Provinces.

ALWS are working to develop programs that will help the church members— from the country leaders, to the pastors, lay workers and congregational members— to develop to their potential with hope for a better future.

ALWS have projects running in many different departments of the ELC-PNG including: Education Department Health Department Lands and Property Department Finance Department Evangelism Department Development Department

ALWS staff plan, evaluate and monitor development programs and projects to make sure that REAL Development occurs. ALWS are accountable to AusAID for the PNG program, to make sure that Australian tax dollars are well spent.

ALWS have a CPP Office in the Lutheran Church Office area in Ampo, Lae (pictured). The office allows the four staff to work effectively on many different and varied projects and programs.

Following are some examples of the types of REAL Development work that ALWS is doing in PNG.

Practical Help and Support ALWS provide practical help and support to all areas of the Lutheran Church in PNG. This includes basic classes and courses on how to effectively run an office, financial matters, leadership, health and hygiene, and so much more.

HIV / Aids Training Workshops HIV/Aids is a real issue that PNG is facing. Education is essential to stop the disease from spreading even further. ALWS run workshops for adults, support the teaching of village people about HIV/Aids and are implementing programs into Lutheran Schools.

Support to Village Life Schools To slow the tide of village people moving to the outskirts of cities, ALWS are supporting Village Life Schools. These schools teach young men how to effectively make a living in their villages. The schools also teach literacy and numeracy skills, carpentry, growing crops and so much more.

Support to Adult Literacy Programs Many of the adults in PNG cannot read or write. This makes it difficult for them in many ways. ALWS offer adult literacy training programs so that these new ‘teachers’ can teach adults in their village how to read and write. These classes are conducted in Pidgin English.

The male and female toilets at the Adult Literacy School in Dabu Muffins - a remote village out from Lae.

Support to the Retention of Girls in Schools Programs For a number of reasons, girls in PNG culture have, traditionally, dropped out of school very early, or never attended school. ALWS have training programs in place to teach teachers the importance of educating girl children. They also work with adults in villages in order for them to see the importance of educating girls.

Empowering Men and Women ALKS are finding development practices that empower men and women to develop their lives. This includes supporting sewing training for women’s groups and carpentry classes for men’s groups so they are able to live more self-sufficiently.

Empowering Children ALWS are helping children in villages, settlement communities and in towns and cities to value education and hope for their futures. As the country changes, young people are often caught up in the uncertainty of the future. Through education, children have a better hope for the future.

REAL Development REAL Development strategies are in their beginning stages in PNG. Please pray for the work of ALWS as lives are changed every day.

We love because God first loved us. 1 John 4:19