We talked to a student and a teacher in the remote community of Karimui to find out how cash crops flown by MAF impact education for Papua New Guinea’s next generation.
Story by Matt Painter.
“Our father planted one thousand cacao trees,” said Paul David, a student in grade seven at Tobaiya Adventist Primary School.
“Currently I work at planting, increasing the number of cacao trees. Later on, this will help me with my school fees and all the various things I need.”
A school prefect, Paul represents thousands of children in the Karimui district who benefit from ‘cash crops’: Cacao, coffee, peanuts and vanilla. Paul’s brother is also blessed to be attending school and is studying grade four.
“We help our parents to go and pick the cacao, harvest it, and it is fermented,” said Paul. “Then, we get it and carry it to our cacao dryer, or if there is none available, we sun-dry it.”
After drying and bagging, cacao beans (the raw ingredient used to make chocolate) are sent via aeroplane to buyers in towns. There are no roads that connect Karimui to the outside world – air transport is the only viable option.
“MAF helps us to export our produce to town, out of this province,” he added. “This helps us to be able to pay school fees, clothes, books, rulers, pens, dictionaries.”
Nelson Makan is the deputy head teacher at Tobaiya Adventist Primary School.
“As a teacher in the school, I observe that plenty of parents rely on cash crops to support the education of their children,” Nelson said. “I see plenty of cash crops in places like this – cacao, peanuts, coffee – all these kinds of cash crops help parents to earn an income to help children and support their learning in the classroom.
“MAF helps us to get our cash crops and export them to markets in Goroka or even Lae.”
Nelson has also observed how MAF flights directly support the function of isolated schools.
“MAF is helping schools, teachers and the community as a whole,” he added. “MAF is the main airline helping us to transport teachers to places like this. They also help us by bringing our stationery supplies for the children, all the supplies we get to support learning inside the school.
“I think that the Lord, Father God, He is there. His eyes see everywhere, so He can see us in places like Karimui, too," Nelson said. "He sends missionaries, workers of Father God… to serve us in this community.
“The way I see it, if there is no air service, we won’t have access to other services that support our daily life.
“With MAF’s existence, we have life and can exist in this place. So, thank you to MAF for supporting life in rural areas.”