With good roads, anything is possible. Connecting farmers to markets hasbeen a key focus for the Papua New Guinea-Australia Partnership roadmaintenance program, which is delivered through the PNG Department ofWorks. A newly awarded reseal project valued at PGK9.3m supported by the PNG-Australia Partnership will begin on 26 kilometres of the New BritainHighway from Kokopo to Bitagunan in January 2021. This will greatly improve access to markets, especially for cocoa farmers in the province. Communities in the Gazelle District are reporting an annual increase in cocoa production, bringing new and exciting opportunities to farmers in the area and drawing attention to the importance of road maintenance projects for market access across the country. Moveh Apelis has farmed cocoa in East New Britain for the last 45 years.Since 1979 he’s been formally engaged in the cocoa industry in a number ofgovernment-funded programs, NGOs and the private sector. He is now supporting 1,000 local cocoa growers as the Lead Farmer with theProductive Partnerships in Agriculture Project (PPAP). Moveh has seen a distinct increase in cocoa production in the last five years, due largely to support for farmers from the World Bank’s PPAP. “At Kerevat alone, in 2016, Agmark recorded 6000 bags of cocoa. In 2017, itjumped to 9,000 bags and from 2018 it jumped up to 20,000 bags,” Movehsaid, reciting the numbers enthusiastically. He predicts that in 2019 and 2020, the cocoa production in Kerevat hasjumped from 20,000 bags to 30,000 or 40,000 bags, translating to 2,500tonnes. With increasing production, improving access to market is essential.“If farmers are travelling on good roads, it should reduce the cost oftransportation and support us to get a cleaner product to the market,” saysMoveh. “But the high cost of transporting cocoa to market eats into income forfarmers in Gazelle District.” There’s a clear sense of preparing for the future in the district and Moveh’soutlook is positive and ambitious. “In the near future, maybe five or six years’ time, my prediction is we willhave a chocolate factory built in East New Britain, and we will have our own product here; chocolate or peanut chocolate or whatever can be made out of chocolate.” When roads are in good condition, vehicles need fewer repairs and cartagecosts are reduced. Cocoa seedlings in the nursery, Gazelle District.

“The last time I saw my brother was in 1990, when he went to drop off my sister and her son at Makaki point in Kieta town. Before leaving, he asked for chicken for dinner and we ate all together that night. The next morning, he left without saying goodbye. Since then, we have not seen or heard from him. My heart breaks every time I recall that moment, not knowing that would be the last time I would see him.” These are the painful sentiments of Isabella Buruau, as she reflects on the last memory of her brother, Pascol Buruau, who was 23 years old when he went missing during the Bougainville Crisis in September 1990, two years after the crisis onset. According to his family, Pascol used to help to bring food for people taking shelter at the care center during the ceasefire.   “Pascol was born after me in Bougainville. He was always smiling and a very obedient child to our parents. Every time he returned home for holidays from university in Port Moresby, he would bring toys for his nephews to make them happy. The family is now left with these memories and a slight hope that may be one day Pascol might come back to them alive”. Cecilia is sharing the same pain with her sister Isabelle: “Ever since he disappeared, we suffer from not knowing what happened to my brother and if he will ever return home”, Cecilia added. Since 1988, hundreds of families in Bougainville are still yearning to know the fate of their missing loved ones, said Dominik Urban, Head of Mission in Papua New Guinea. Every year, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) supports and accompanies families in Bougainville to organize traditional ceremonies to remember their loved ones as a coping mechanism to the deal with uncertainty. On 1st November 2020, families of those who went missing in Topinang, Pavaire and Amiong communities in Kieta, Central Bougainville gathered in to commemorate their relatives who are still unaccounted for today, more than twenty years after the end of the crisis. On this occasion, families brought a tree that they believe the missing family member liked, accompanied with a portray photo, and had it blessed by the community priest before taking it home to plant in memory of their loved ones. The ceremony is a platform for families of the missing persons to come out and celebrate the life of their loved ones and look at a new way forward without them. “It happened many years ago, but the memories are still fresh,” said Joycelyn Mimira, a family member of another missing person from the Amiong community. “The life of the missing person has a meaning. These are people that have been with us before and remain with us in spirit. We should never forget them”. Families of missing persons undergo the same traumatic experience as all others affected by the  conflict, and face additional psychological, social and economic challenges associated with the disappearance of the family member. “The tragedy of the missing people remains a humanitarian concern and it is important that authorities ensure that their fate is clarified and that families receive their long overdue answers. The ICRC reiterates its commitment to support the national and Bougainville authorities in this effort, said Dominik Urban. The ICRC has been working to protect and assist people affected by violence and tribal fighting in Papua New Guinea since 2012.   

Buk bilong Pikinini (BbP) has this week graduated over a thousand five-year-old students, who are now well-prepared and ready to take the next steps in their education. BbP’s program has shown year after year, that children who have attended the organisations’ Early Childhood Development program are well ahead of their peers and academically outperform those who have not had the opportunity to attend an early childhood learning program. As part of BbP’s in-house developed curriculum, the children have been taught phonics, segmenting and blending and many are now able to read. They have been taught discipline and classroom behavior and are ready to focus on learning. They have also enjoyed BbP’s Numeracy and Early STEM program and understand basic concepts of maths and problem solving. The have also received Financial Literacy lessons thanks to the organisations’ partnership with BSP. The children have gained an appreciation of their culture and have this year studied the history of communication – from conch shells to mobile phones -during Literacy week. They also understand the importance of looking after the environment, have learnt about child rights, road safety and transport. (Some were even lucky to visit a PNG Air aircraft.) Thanks to the support of CPL and St John’s Ambulance the children have also learnt vital health and hygiene lessons. BbP’s Teacher-Librarians receive on-going training throughout the year including on special needs and sign language as the program is inclusive. This December all BbP’s Teacher-Librarians will also attend the organisations first Digital Training program to prepare the teachers for the introduction of the children’s Digital Learning program, which will be rolled out to all Library Learning Centres in 2021. The comprehensive training program has been made possible thanks to Deloitte & Deloitte Digital, ExxonMobil PNG and the PNGAusPartnership. BbP has also developed six new readers - featuring local children – entitled: “When I grow up I want to be …”. Six different professions are covered and the readers are designed both complement the organisations’ reading curriculum and to inspire the children to imagine their future. The readers have been developed as an extensions of Literacy Week advocacy videos created in partnership with Rober Weber. (See links below.) The BbP program is aligned with the National Department of Education’s early childhood structure 3:6:6. While we wait for this to be implemented, BbP is doing its part as a member the ECD Alliance and has been delivering a comprehensive ECD program for more than 10 years now. BbP has developed a solid curriculum for PNG’s children and provides teacher training to both BbP teachers and school teachers and educators across the country in this highly efficient program. In rural and remote communities, BbP’s program is particularly suited as a bridge from Tok Ples to English. BbP is able to deliver its comprehensive Early Childhood Development program thanks to the generous support it receives from all its donors and partners in both PNG and Australia. (See banner below). Leanne Resson, BbP Executive Officer said: “Despite this difficult year for everyone, it wonderful to see more than 1000 children graduating from our programs equipped with the skills to successfully transition to the next stages of their learning.” Anne-Sophie Hermann, BbP Founder and Chair said: “There no time to waste, it is essential for the increase in literacy rates to start teaching the children to read at the foundational level. We are grateful for the tremendous and generous support we receive from our sponsors and partners in both PNG and Australia. We are looking forward to an exciting year in 2021 and to be introducing digital learning to the children.”

US President-elect Joe Biden has said he will ask Americans to wear masks for his first 100 days in office to curtail the spread of coronavirus. He told CNN he believed there would be a "significant reduction" in Covid-19 cases if every American wore a face covering. Mr Biden also said he would order masks to be worn in all US government buildings. The US has recorded 14 million cases and 275,000 deaths from Covid-19. Mr Biden said: "The first day I'm inaugurated to say I'm going to ask the public for 100 days to mask. Just 100 days to mask, not forever. One hundred days. "And I think we'll see a significant reduction if we occur that, if that occurs with vaccinations and masking to drive down the numbers considerably."  Constitutional experts say a US president has no legal authority to order Americans to wear masks, but Mr Biden said during the interview he and his Vice-President Kamala Harris would set an example by donning face coverings. The president's executive authority does cover US government property, and Mr Biden said he intended to exercise such power.

Valentine Holmes is poised to remain at fullback under new Cowboys coach Todd Payten, who has kick-started a major overhaul of the team's structures and standards. Payten has assumed the reins after a season in which North Queensland finished 14th with a 5-15 record. They parted ways with long-time coach Paul Green in July and Josh Hannay saw out the campaign in an interim capacity. The Cowboys haven't made the finals since 2017 - when Payten was on Green's staff as an assistant - and the new mentor acknowledged he must reinstate high benchmarks and change the side's style. And Holmes, who returned to the NRL in 2020 after a one-year sojourn with the NFL's New York Jets, looks likely to wear the No.1 jersey despite some calls for him to play on the wing. "Val will be spending the pre-season at fullback. It was a big ask for him last year to come back from the NFL, the physical demands with limited preparation," Payten told NRL.com. Source: NRL.com

Two Fijians who arrived from New Zealand last month are the latest confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Fiji, and both in border quarantine. The Health Ministry said the pair - aged 75 and 57 and whom live in Auckland - arrived at Nadi Airport on a repatriation flight from Auckland on 19 November. It was likely they contracted the virus on the flight from NZ as "they were both seated near a person who tested positive in border quarantine", the ministry said. "They had both tested negative in Auckland, 72 hours before boarding the flight to Nadi, then tested negative again during day two testing in our border quarantine," the ministry said in a statement. "Their positive test results have come on day 12 of border quarantine." The ministry said the new cases have been under strict border quarantine conditions since they arrived in Fiji. "They are both in stable condition and have been transferred to the isolation unit at Lautoka hospital in accordance with our standard protocol for transfer and isolation of confirmed cases. "During this festive time, the Ministry of Health expects to continue to get more Border Quarantine cases. "Furthermore we have the cyclone season." The ministry said it was working with the military to mitigate any risk at the border. It called on the public to continue to observe the ministry's Covid-safe measures of hand washing, cough etiquette and physical distancing. Fiji now has nine active cases of Covid-19. Source: Radio NZ

The people of Bougainville will go to the polls soon to elect a new member to represent them in the Papua New Guinea (PNG) National Parliament, after the Governor General, His Excellency Grand Chief Sir Bob Dadae, issued the writs for the by-election yesterday in Port Moresby.  The Bougainville Regional seat was left vacant after the then sitting member, Joe Lera, resigned to contest in the Bougainville Presidential Election this year.  PNG Electoral Commission (PNGEC) Acting Commissioner, Mr. Simon Sinai said they are ready to go ahead with the by election after they were finally granted the initially K8million from the K15million funding for the by election.  GG Sir Bob Dadae signing the writ “We have put in place all our administrative arrangement, especially the people who will be leading to run election, the Returning Officer and Assistant Returning Officer, and Assistant Returning Officers representing the regions or the electorates in Bougainville,” said the Commissioner.  “The Provincial Returning Officer will be based in Buka. There will be Assistant Returning Officer located in South Bougainville in Buin, Central Bougainville in Arawa and another Assistant Returning Officer in North Bougainville in Buka.”  “We are ready, Electoral Commission is ready. As I speak, my deputy and my directors are on their way to Buka to touch base with the Buka election steering committee and discuss on the same issue, so they are also given notice to prepare to support the electoral commission to run elections in whatever means and possible areas they can assist.”    Meanwhile, nominations for intending candidates will open at 4pm Thursday 03rd December 2020 and closes on the 10th of December 2020. Polling is expected start on the 16th of January 2021 and ending on the 29th of January 2021.  

13-year-old Donny Tuka was born with Dwarfism, growing up hasn’t been easy for him, he was bullied ridiculed and recently whilst doing his grade 5 at a local school in Kavieng, the bullying got so bad that he dropped out of school.  His adopted mum, Enlly Singan who has six kids of her own said that, Donny was a bright young teenager and even after leaving school he was still very much interested in learning new things.  “My kids are all in High Schools now, so I brought Donny to leave with me, he is my younger cousin sister’s son.” “The father isn’t in the picture, and Donny used to live with his grandma, one time I brought him to my home for a visit and but he stayed and became a part of my family.” “Every night, when my children did their homework and assignments, Donny would get his book and pencil and also work with them.” “I could see his interest in learning but the bullying and teasing has made him lose interest in attending class.” “I’ve always worried about him, I want him to have something to, something he can lean on when he’s older, so when I heard that the PNG Fashion and Design Week would come to Kavieng and run a 13-day training on Fashion and Design, I thought this is it.” “I went back home and spoke with Donny and he was very interested too so I signed him up and here we are,” she said.  Singan said that she loved sewing but couldn’t design well and she thought to herself, “my son and I will start up our own brand and do business, he will design and I will sew.” “So we came and registered, and the last couple of days have been amazing, learning new things and watching Donny, been comfortable, in class, learning a skill, its like the Lord has answered my prayers, for every mother will always worry about their children.” “At the end of the day, we want to know that when we are gone, our children have something and can take care of themselves,” she said.  Donny who is very shy, said that he was excited and really loved the training.  The mother and son pair are two of 53 participants taking part in a 13-day fashion and design week festival training in Kavieng, New Ireland.  The program is funded by the PNG-Australia Partnership and supported by the National Youth Development Authority and the New Ireland Provincial Government and Administration.  Donny and his mum also thanked all those who made it possible for the training to come to Kavieng. 

THE newly revamped Women National Soccer League will kick off its Round One matches at Sir Ignatius Kilage stadium in Lae and the PNG Football Stadium in Port Moresby respectively on Saturday. All Northern Conferences matches will be played at Sir Ignatius Kilage stadium for this weekend only to create awareness of women football while following weekend will see the home-and-away features. PNGFA president John Kapi Natto is likely to kick off the match at Sir Ignatius Kilage stadium to mark a new era of women’s football in the country. The women’s NSL was last played in 1990’s where Lae Biscuit Poro and Prima PNG Power playing and dominating the scene along with University Inter FC and Mungkas. In the opening match, local team Bara will host visiting Tusbab Laidamon at 0900am followed by Rainy Lae and former champions, Poro. New kid on the blocks Pacific Gardens from Goroka take on fellow novice Morobe Tulip of MilesLodge while the main game, Sepik FC take on Raings of Markham. In the Southern Conference, NCD FC under the watchful eyes of Wara Wima should set a good fight against Fredrica Siwin coached Port Moresby FC. NCD is an unknown pack from NCD Public Servants Soccer League and also from Laloki Football Association. Port Moresby will see big names like Roxen Komeng come out of retirement to ensure and encourage the young players to achieve their dream The village team from Koupa Soccer Association at Kaparoko village in Central will take on the might of Hekari United led by PNG striker Marie Kaipu. In the main game, youngsters of Port Moresby Academy will take on the star-studded FC Gensis led by Yvonne Gabong and Mary Maino. It should be mouth-watery fixture both in the Northern and Southern Conference. Round One Draws: Northern Conference Sir Ignatius Kilage Stadium 0900 Bara vs Tusbab Laidamon FC 1100 Rainy Lae vs Poro 1300 Pacific Garden vs Morobe Tulip 1500 Sepik FC vs Markharm Raings Round One Draws: Southern Conference PNG Football Stadium - Waigani 1100 NCD FC vs Port Moresby City 1300 Amoana FC vs Hekari FC

The Supreme Court today begun its hearing of evidences from parties involved in the application filed by Peter O’Neill on the validity of the November 17 parliament sitting. A five-men Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Sir Gibbs Salika today accepted the evidences produced in the high court and agreed to proceed to hear the substantive matter as it closed submissions on evidence. A late submission by the Attorney Generals lawyer Nemo Yalo to include the legality of the November 13 parliament sitting as well was refused by the 5-men bench after Mr Yalo asked the court to deal with the issues in totality and have both sitting dates argued in court. The court adjourned briefly for lunch after hearing a lengthy submission on evidences from Peter O’Neill’s lawyer Greg Shepard.   Meantime heavy police presence manning the road towards the court house premise prevented crowds from gathering this morning. 

Jeremy Damien Sapak, better known as DJ Dame in the local entertainment industry, will be launching his SME company called the Hitlist Entertainment next Friday 11December 2020. This SME is aimed at promoting and managing artists, selling shows and setting up a booking agency for both DJs and Artists that get signed. Sapak said, “The money made from the launching will help purchase necessary equipment that is required to operate efficiently throughout 2021 doing what we do best, providing entertainment at night clubs, parties and corporate events.” What inspired DJ Dame to start up his own company was being independent as an individual artist and giving opportunities to DJs and artists out there that really want to make money through music. “Be original, keep creating content, don’t be afraid to ask for help and have a good communication skill and talk to people.” That is his message to upcoming DJs and artists or anyone who has a dream of starting up his/her own business.

Christmas is meant to be a happy time for everyone! It’s a time for sharing, It’s a time to exchange gifts, a time for families to get together over some aigir or mumu. But not everyone is privileged enough to have a normal Christmas. Due to COVID-19 pandemic, some families are struggling just to get by. One of PNG’s top female artists, Mereani Masani also wants share her work this Christmas by assisting others with their fundraising activities through her music. The Charity drive she’s doing is called the Busking for Charity. “It’s an idea that I came up with since Christmas is coming up and I just thought it would be nice to just be able to use my platform to raise some money for people that might need a little bit of help.” “Whether it’s a medical fundraiser or other genuine reasons, I just wanted to put a little bit of time aside for myself to go and be able to give back to the community with my music.” She added that she will be busking anywhere where there is a lot of people so she can perform and people can walk past and donate in either cash or kind. “The fun part about busking is that I can pretty much do it anywhere at any time,” “It could be in the streets at Boroko, it could be at Gerehu, it could be in town or Ela beach.” “We’ll have a little notice on the side saying what we are fundraising for and the people in charge of that particular cause we are fundraising for will be there to take everything I have raised to take with them to support them.” “I’ve put out a toksave and whoever that comes forward and tells me what they need help with. I’ve got a couple of interested people that have sent in messages, some were for school fees or just people that really need help. I just want to help whoever I can.” “I’ll be travelling around for a couple of gigs so I’ll be doing that in other provinces as well.” She further added that she hopes to inspire her fellow musicians to follow suit and help raise funds to assist people that need help this Christmas. For people that want to be part of the Busking for Charity, you can send Mereani a message on facebook or email her on: mamamasalai.ent@gmail.com. Meanwhile, you can catch Mereani on the 10th of December at the Sea Park Bazaar Christmas Celebrations.