Fundraiser makes a difference
Maintenance to safe haus
Youth unemployment and violence against women are two pressing challenges in Papua New Guinea.
But there’s a way to tackle both at the same time – and it’s happening at a local safe house.
Founded and run by City Mission, Haus Ruth is Port Moresby’s oldest and biggest refuge for survivors of family and sexual violence. Women and their children go there for counselling, support and advice, and stay there in safety.
In recent times, they’ve been joined during the day by a group of young men, who are moving on from problems of their own. The homeless or orphans. They are graduates of another City Mission program that’s been designed to get troubled boys off the street and give skills and values with which to build a
new life.
And when they say “build”, City Mission means it quite literally. Drawing on funds raised by Bel isi PNG, and the expertise of construction from Curtain Bros, the young men have been working to refurbish the 60-year-old Haus Ruth and provide a better life for the women and children that stay there.
“It’s a big old timber building, structurally sound and in need of some repairs and maintenance,” says Amanda Anderson of Oil Search Foundation, who help Bel isi PNG raise and manage the funds.
“City Mission approached Curtain Brothers to see what they could do, and they were kind enough to to come on board provide all the skilled labour at their own cost while City Mission provided the young men to learn skills on the job and help complete the project. It’s a great example of working in partnership.’”.
“We’ve had some really good guys come in to help,” says Grant Isakson, the Curtain Bros building manager overseeing the works, and helping the boys pick up new skills.
“We’ll probably offer them a job when we’re finished.”
“So far, we’ve sanded and painted the outside, added new eaves, gutters and pipes, and replaced the flywire and security screens. Now we’re repainting every room, retiling the bathroom, fixing the electricity, replacing rotten floor boards, and adding a few kitchen cabinets.”
“It will take a while, because there are still people living here, and we need to observe security protocols and not disrupt their day-to-day activities any more than we have to. One way or another, we want to keep the
place open, because women have got nowhere else to go. There’s not a lot of facilities around Moresby for women with no family to take care of them.”
“The whole project is still only about 30% complete, but things are already looking fantastic”, says Anderson. “Safe houses like these are vital to the community and I think it’s great to see the community and business support for them”.
For his part, Isakson paid tribute to the many big and small business in the city who contributed building materials free of charge.
Things are tough up here now, there’s not a lot of work around, but even so they’ve been donating a lot of gear. Covering everything from paint, tiles and pipes to free fire alarms, free building
accessories have come from Dulux, Taubmans, Bishop Brothers, Atlas Steel, Badili Hardware, Paradise Interiors, ODG PNG, Aspen Medical, M&E Partnership and the PlanPac Group.
“Haus Ruth is like any building,” says an equally grateful John Reesink, the General Manager of City Mission. “You leave it for too many years, and sooner or later, they just become shabby to a point where no-one wants to live there.”
This is the second safe house supported by the Bel isi PNG fundraiser.
Another local safe house was also made safer and more comfortable following a major refurbishment including painting, tiling, plumbing, improved security, a new septic system, furnishing and linens.
The safe house manager advised, “we are pleased to be able to continue to offer essential services to survivors in our newly refurbished facilities thank all partners for their generous support. Funding in the sector is very limited and we would not have been able to make these improvements without
support”.
BSA Construction, that was awarded the contract for the refurbishment also contributed by providing significant building services from their own supplies and at their own cost, over and above original scope of works.
BSA Construction Manager said that he and his team came to feel “honoured to be a part of such a great cause”.
“Domestic violence is something that is very common is this country and to have the opportunity to build something safe where woman and children can seek refuge was a privilege. This really hit home with a lot of the guys working with our team. That’s why we really tried to provide extras in every way we could, and we will continue to provide free maintenance to the house in every single way possible.”
“To see the team’s faces at the end of the job, when we were thanked by residents and pastors from around the church and school, was really a proud moment for me.”
If you want to get involved and assist the sector, or know someone who is interested, reach out to Bel isi PNG at info@belisipng.org.pg.
The Bel isi PNG initiative is an innovative public private civil society partnership. It is supported by the Australian Government in partnership with the Government of Papua New Guinea as part of the Pacific Women Shaping Pacific Development Program, National Capital District Commission, Bank of South Pacific, Steamships Trading Co and Oil Search.