Training new farmers

The weather was rainy for most of the last week. Raining quite heavily in the early part of the week. When the sun comes out its hot- even the locals complain. One night the rain was so neavy on our roof, it kept waking me up. Talking to a lady on the PMV next morning, I commented about it and she said that wasn't heavy! The weather affected some of the training organised for the last three days of the week.
I struggled with Digicel (AKA Dodgicel) this week. A couple of weeks ago, I'd brought a router/ data package for the FPDA ,office as Elizabeth and Neli tend to use their phone and private data to send emails etc. The data package was supposed to last 4 weeks. On monday there was no data left (10GB) gone in 5 days. I tried to put some more credit on the router, by the end of the week the credit still hadn't come through and had disappeared. Luckily I have an invoice, so I'll be going to see my "friend" Smith, at the Dodgicel (sorry Digicel) office on Monday to get matters sorted.
In the office they are amazed that I'm going to follow things up.The average PNG' ian  probably wouldn't do anything about it, because it would be too "hard". Elizabeth recently "lost" $15 dollars worth of  electricity credit in a similar way. Because I'm seen as an "Expat", and the staff at various businesses take notice of expats, I can get something done. I see it as my contribution to dealing with the "low" level ripoffs that are evident everywhere in PNG. If people won't complain-nothing changes.

The trainee training took place as scheduled. In the classroom on Wednesday, Neli, with Christine helping, took sessions on budgeting and setting goals.
Thursday and Friday we set aside for "field " work, but things were washed out by the rain on thursday. So the training needed to be compressed a bit to fit it all in on friday.

Neli presenting the goal setting session, Christine supporting.

 
Christine helping "her" group talk to the whole group about their goals. 

 
Jerry, who is involved the watermelon project we've seen before, describing his goals.  
 What I saw was a difference between the girls and the boys. The boys had grand goals but with not much about how to get there. The girls had smaller goals but with some very well defined achievable steps to attain them.

Arriving at the site Friday morning I discovered that it was my "job" to organise the erection of a shadehouse at the demonstration area Elizabeth has set up;  no pre- warning. I suspect it was a "test". Once I had set out the corners and we had a bit of a conflab the trainees got the message and got on with it with very little supervision. It was a good exercise as it enabled me to see what sort of skills each of the trainees had. Even the "girls' got involved.

Pre-start session, demonstration area, Friday. this was when I discovered I was building the shadehouse.

 Corners marked out and the team going for it, digging holes.

 Getting the pole tops level. Poles were different lengths, so there was a bit of swapping poles and holes.

 Thomas generally in the thick of things, diverted into his bag for a cigarette.

Shadehouse construction nearly finished, with timber around the tops. I had to encourage them to put a lot more fixing nails in. One seemed to be enough!

First length of shadecloth.

 

Team in front of the completed shadehouse, all smiles because I'd promised them some bananas. 

 The fellow in blue top was a local youth leader Elizabeth had asked to come and help. Jerry in "front" as per usual. The four guys on the right (Jeremiah, Jerry, Thomas and Erickson) are already growing. Two people missing from the photo, not sure where they went. A great bunch on young people; keen as mustard!

Elizabeth demonstrating "pricking out" .

 Demonstration area already planted out.

Elizabeth demonstrating planting out. About half the trainees are already well versed with this as they have already grown their own crops.

Example of  pest damage you  wouldn't expect; leaf damage caused by the local (large) crickets.

I thought the training program only went for a year but I found out it goes for 5 years. So its a lot of input into the trainees. Elizabeth reckons that there would be no imported vegetable growing  (chinese and english cabbage, etc if it wasn't for the training programs conducted over the years, as most of the current growers have been through the program. In the past it didn't matter how old the trainees were but now, they only accept young people. The trainees have to train other people; the

idea is they go out into the villages near where they live and spread the word!

On a personal note we're both realised that the shear "work" of living and doing stuff here is having a tiring affect on us. Partly the heat but also the road into Kokopo, from here, has deteriorated quite significantly in a couple of places, since we've been here. So the PMV's bang and crash over the bumps. In the morning the PMV I catch, often goes around an industrial area near us, dropping off people. The roads are appalling! After a while you just get sick of it! Its quite an effort for Christine to do the groceries, things are often forgotten, or one supermarket hasn't got what you want, and its too much bother to go back to get what you need. 

Remember you can donate to VSA's work by using the link I've previously posted.

Christine:

I enjoyed going over the training material with Neli at the end of the previous week and the begining of last week. So Monday was wash day, tuesday coffee with Suzanne (sugar diabetes nurse) and others, then going over training material once again with Neli. Wednesday was training day- great fun and ended the day feeling energised!! Thursday 12:30-4pm getting to Nonga hospital in Rabaul for Polio jab along with the rest of VSA team (apart from Anton who had gone bush with the students). Friday was housework, market for F&V and 2 supermarkets in Kokopo. I got back to Seaview longing for a cup of tea to find the jug had malfunctioned. Johannes to the rescue with a new jug. 

Wednesday's training was at the Kokopo School. A govt school of approx 1200 pupils. Toilet paper but no soap, towel or water to wash hands in the ladies loo! We have it so easy in NZ.

Saturday morning was spent relaxing with friends on the decking at the beautiful Kokopo Beach Bungalow Resort in Kokopo and Sunday was a 3/4 hour wait for the PNV to Kokopo and a church service. We slept away a good part of the afternoon!

Suzanne (mentioned earlier) spoke of giving her spare spectacles to Nonga (government) hospital. There is a need for old glasses. Karen Gardyne just out of Kaiapoi NZ has agreed to accept donations of old spectacles and get them to Blenheim where they will be picked up and arrive in Kokopo in september.