Highlands famine gives unity

where politics could not

From a Port Moresby correspondent The combination of drought and frost which brought a large area of the PNG Highlands to a crisis of famine (PIM, Nov, p 121) has had the further result of bringing the whole country together in a massive rescue operation. By mid-November a total of nearly 130,000 people were being fed on relief rations and Famine Appeal Committee Chairman Mr Simon Kaumi announced that a total of $826,382 had been given or promised to the appeal.

Special air charters carried rice and other foodstuffs and vitamins to the Highlands and helicopters have been kept busy making deliveries to remote hard-hit villages. Rice was a preferred commodity because of its concen trated food value (more people could be fed per plane-load), but a second ary appeal had to be made for dona tions of cooking vessels because the

Highlanders generally had nothing in which to cook rice.

Chief Minister Michael Somare made an inspection of the famine area and was shown sweet potato crops which had been the hope of not-too distant relief, completely blackened and dead from frost. Replacement plants were flown in, but some of these were also threatened by further frosts.

A problem arose in communicating the gravity of the situation to people in other areas. Representatives from the less-affected Western Highlands were taken on an inspection of the worse hit districts and immediately they reported back showing pictures of what they had seen, donations be gan to come from people who saw them.

This was part of a pattern of an unprecedented response from all round Papua New Guinea. Villages, schools, clubs and organisations of all

kinds began raising money by a multi tude of means. One group of school pupils went on a voluntary diet so the savings could be given. Dances, con certs and door-to-door collections raised thousands of dollars from small contributors, and it appeared likely that Mr Kaumi’s appeal for a united effort was bearing fruit.

Nevertheless there was need of sub stantial help from external sources, and donations came from the New Zealand Government ($50,000), Nauru ($10,000), Japan ($5,000) and a host of commercial donations were led by Bougainville Copper’s $lOO,OOO gift, with Burns Philp and Carpenters ($25,000 each) reflecting their very substantial commitment to the welfare of Papua New Guinea itself.

The Australian Government weighed in with the RAAF’s Caribou aircraft for the airlift, and voluntary groups have contributed substantially, notably Australia’s Jaycees, who fol lowed up a $l,OOO gift with a cam paign in support of the appeal. In Geneva the World Council of Churches asked its member churches around the world for $lOO,OOO for PNG food relief, and churches in PNG were early supporters of the national fund.