Indexes

642

NameMike & Alice
Gendern
Country of OriginPapua New Guinea
Destination CountryPapua New Guinea

Mike and Alice are in their early 50s, they met during primary school. During their early years, Alice never finished primary school while he went on to high school but did not complete his studies either. It is common here in the village for people not to finish their studies. Located in Oro province, the small coastal town of Killerton consists largely of rural villagers who live off their ancestral land utilizing the knowledge passed down from their forefathers, including how to survive natural hazards. Mike went on to join a theatre company as an actor and travelled throughout the country performing educational plays highlighting HIV/AIDS, immunization, and abuse against women. Domestic violence is a wide spread issue in this country. You will find cases of it in nearly every province and the plays would explain to people why it is wrong. His village was also severely damaged by cyclone Guba induced floods in 2007. When the flood came through our village, we decided to move our home away from its path. A couple of men in the village helped me to cut my house in half and we moved it away from the path of the flooding. In about two hours we were able to move my home 200 meters. We still live in the same home. Today, Mike continues to live in his home in Killerton with his family despite the continued risk of cyclones and flooding. Like most people from PNG, he has a strong connection with the land on which he grew up. I grew up on this land and so did my father and his father before him and so will my children and their children. This land is more than just our home; we hunt, grow food, build homes, and raise our families here. I was born here and I will be buried here alongside my ancestors.

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