This is a kind of – To Whom it may concern message/post. Some words of experience that Dave and Ben would like to share with the wider world.
You see, we two blokes – Dave the Kiwi and Ben the Aussie have been working in the New Guinea Islands on and off since the 1970’s (Ben) and the 1980’s Dave. We’ve retired but we marvel at the energy and passion and practical skills that the CDWAI team offer to PNG villagers.
Dave (DA) speaking – DK (Pastor David Kulimbao) was an answer to prayer in 1995 in Lae, East Taraka where we lived at the Lae Baptist Church. I was starting out with simple agricultural activities, having arrived in 1994. I needed someone to be a brother in arms, helping out with the practical and training end of things. I’d had a brother in arms in Makki, Jayawijaya Province, Irian Jaya – West Papua. Gideon was my right hand man there.
DK became a wonderful friend – worker together in the communities around Lae – especially Situm and Malahang. We were linked in with the UniTech Ag Department – I taught Ag Ecology in 1996 and teamed up with Dr Ian Grant who was the vet teaching at Uni and he had brought NZ White Rabbits and Californian Half Lop our of disease free laboratories in Oz. The rabbit story is another story entirely.
DK worked in the rabbit shed, in the gardens and in 1997 things really picked up with a terrible El Nino driven drought. We worked in Oro, Western and Sandaun Provinces, and Enga, WHP, EHP, Morobe, providing training and helping people cope with the drought, adapting their gardens to dry conditions. His wife Anna Kulimbao, from Yenkis is a wonderful trainer, mother and leader also. She is a special friend to our family.
We did it again, during the much less severe drought – 2015/16.
Since then, DK and his wife AK have been living in Goroka area, on sloping land – everyone lives on sloping hills! But not everyone manages soil erosion, soil fertility, alley crops the way this family does. DK and AK have contributed enormously to village communities – conflict resolution, agroforestry training, water supplies, sewing training…
I absolutely encourage your team to employ DK and AK and others in the CDWAI team when you have opportunities and need competent, trustworthy, skilled and experienced field extension officers.