A REMOTE village in Papua New Guinea received full internet access through Starlink connection this week in Dorobisoro village, inland Rigo in Central Province.
It wasn’t just connectivity, but a struggle needed on Thursday.
A dawn of opportunities for the locals to connect to the outside world through use of their mobile phones.
An end to three hours climb every day by villagers to Mount Sirabe just to get a weak network on either Digicel or bmobile to contact their families, reach health authorities whenever emergencies arise at the aid post at the old government station.
GT Bustin, President of PNG Tribal Foundation said the organization has been working behind the scenes for six months with Starlink to be brought into the country because the local people needed it more.
The rural clinics, aid posts and education centers needed it more.
PNG Tribal Foundation is the leading organization who initiated the Ghost Mountain Expedition and with the partnership of Central Governor Rufina Peter and Rigo MP Ano Pala to make it possible for basic services into the village.
“PNG Tribal Foundation took the leadership of Ghost Mountain Expedition with the expressed purpose of improving services for villagers who live along the historic Kapa Kapa trail.
“With the great efforts of authors Peter Gamgee and James Campbell, and the generosity of donors in Queensland through Tribal Foundation Australia, we are now making good on that commitment,” Mr Bustin said.
He said Governor Rufina Peter and Sir Ano Pala have been supportive from the start and as John Maxwell says, teamwork makes the dream work. PNG Tribal Foundation is all about fighting for the rural majority in PNG and they are proud to see these services come to Dorobisoro.
John Marai, land mediator for Mosia clan, Dorobisoro village, said the internet access will serve villagers from Laronu, Dorobisoro, Boro, Abaro, Lora, Igonomu, Tabu and smaller villages including Abavana 1 and 2, and Mimai.
For Kauke Sibide, a long-time community health worker since 1986, it was not just connectivity but history witnessed today because for over 40 years, he struggled to communicate using his mobile phone to pass messages to health authorities whenever there were emergency cases of mothers facing complications during labour and birth or severe malaria attacks of a child or an adult.
“I came as a young man in my 20s and now am old, have grandchildren, serving in the most remote part of the district for over 40 years and for the first time I can use my phone while inside the clinic to talk to anyone in Port Moresby.
“I can now call from here whenever an emergency arises and needing assistance on charter flight to move a sick patient,” Mr Sibide said.
Mr Gamgee said he first travelled into the remote communities in 2009 and later realised the strength of the community was their communication and willingness to support one another despite the lack of basic services.
“In 2011, when I came here sick with my son, it became clear that many people living along the Ghost Mountain trail were missing out on essential health and education services.
“That made me think about what we could do to bring health and education services into these villages and with the support of all the people and funds raised back in my hometown we were able to connect power, communication and bring in medical supplies,” he said.
“The Ghost Mountain Expedition is about introducing people from around the world to the beauty and culture of Papua New Guinea, while delivering real services to the communities along the trail.
“We’ve already supplied three months of medical support to the Dorobisoro clinic, and with Peter Gamgee and the generosity of supporters in Australia, we are now able to bring lasting infrastructure improvements.”
PNG Tribal Foundation is a humanitarian organization dedicated to improving lives across Papua New Guinea through healthcare, education and leadership development.