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14 Papuan Youth join Diversity for the Nation Expedition

A total of 14 youths from Papua took part in the 2018 Bhinneka Bagi Bangsa (Diversity for the Nation) Expedition in Jatiluhur, West Java.

This expedition was held to commemorate the Sumpah Pemuda (Youth Oath) Day which fell on 28 October,

These young people are students from the Jayawijaya Educational Foundation, Mimika which was founded by PT Freeport Indonesia.

The 14 Papuan participants joined others from various parts of Indonesia in a five-day nature expedition and education activity from 24-28 October at OBI Eco Campus, Jatiluhur, Purwakarta, West Java.

In this activity, the participants took part in a natural expedition which included mountain climbing, flag raising, reading of the Youth Oath pledge, and mutual cooperation to build rafts.

At the end of the activity, they participated in a mini talk show at the Jatiluhur OBI Eco Campus, West Java.

“There are 14 children from Papua, they consist of junior high school students in grade 7, 8 and grade 9. In this activity, they become accustomed to being able to get along with friends from diverse backgrounds. They are used to being in a pluralistic environment. They live and attend school in the PT Freeport Indonesia corporate work area in Papua, where people value​​ mutual respect,” said Head of Public Relations of the Jayawijaya Education Foundation, Omih Gobay in his press statement.

Wendy Kusumawidagdo as the initiator of the “Diversity for the Nation Expedition” said that this activity was expected to strengthen the bonds of the participants.

“We gather youth from Aceh to Papua, a total of 13 provinces, and consist of different ethnic groups, religions, ages and races. The children carry out various kinds of natural activities such as hiking and various other activities that train cooperation, tolerance and mutual understanding,” Wendy explained.

One of the participants from the Jayawijaya Educational Foundation Junior High School, Pamella, stated that this program enabled her to get to know the outside world more and have a broader perspective.

“I became more familiar with others, so I did not discriminate friends based on culture, ethnicity or skin color. I appreciate the difference more. I think diversity is very important to fight for. Because without diversity we cannot unite. Indonesia consists of various tribes and races, people that possess various kinds of diversities. Diversity as a strength to face challenges in the future. The diversity makes us one,” Pamella said.

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13 Regencies in Papua Generate USD 8.4 Million from Agriculture Products

By Akfa Nasrulhak – detikFinance

Jakarta – The Ministry of Village, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration (Ministry of PDTT) together with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) checks and validates the Self-sustain Village Development Program (PPMD) in Abrose Village, Ransiki District, South Manokwari, West Papua.

Head of Sub-directorate of Technology Efficiency (Kasubdit TTG), Directorate of Natural Resource Utilization (PSDA) of the Directorate General of Community Development and Empowerment (DG PPMD) of PDTT Ministry of Agriculture, Anastutik Wiryaningsih revealed that the PPMD ​​activities have been implemented since March 2017 and will end on 31 December 2018.

“In this period we carried out capacity building and community empowerment programs, especially in agriculture,” Anastutik said in a written statement on Thursday (11/08/2018).

Anastutik revealed that there were 13 districts where 6 districts in Papua and 7 districts in West Papua were targeted by the program and received funding in the form of grants and loans of USD 8.4 million from IFAD.

“The community is given training starting from cultivation or processing of chocolate or cocoa, seaweed, vanilla, to empowering women. The community is also taught to save their income and so on,” said Anastutik.

According to Anastutik, the year before PPDM came in, the community in Abrose complained about their cocoa plants being affected by tree diseases.

“Because the treatment were not good, cocoa has been stricken with disease. We gave proper treatment exercises. Now their cocoa is healthy and produce more,” she said.

PPDM has also succeeded in helping farmers to send 4 tons of seaweed from Fak Fak to Surabaya.

“In Fak Fak, seaweed is only valued at Rp. 6,000 per kg, in Surabaya the price can reach Rp. 18,000 per kg,” she said.

During the visit, Anastutik also took time to meet one of the 30 residents who were members of the PPMD ​​program, Helena (60). Wearing a shirt with a picture of Monas and Bajaj bearing the Jakarta sign, Helena came out to meet the group from the Ministry of PDTT and IFAD in her newly built house in the middle of lush cocoa plants around her.

The location is not far from the Village Development and Community Empowerment Service (PPMK) of Ransiki District which is also the Capital of South Manokwari Regency, West Papua. Precisely in the village or village of Abrose which is on the roadside towards the city of Manokwari.

Helena, who was accompanied by Village Assistant Abrose Abdul Rahim Arkan Semoryai, said that the group’s success with the Independent Village Development Program (PPDM) was initiated by the Ministry of Defense PDTT and IFAD.

“We were taught how to take care of our cocoa, to cut, harvest, store and to dry,” said Helena.

Meanwhile, IFAD’s Country Program Officer Anissa Lucky Pratiwi said, in addition to conducting training to improve community skills in agriculture, IFAD is also starting to focus on how people in these villages can sell their produces.

“After they produce products in the agricultural sector, we also begin to think about how they can sell them to improve the community’s economy,” said Anissa who has participated in community empowerment programs in Indonesia for approximately 8 years. .

Funds from IFAD are used to organize various trainings in agriculture from planting, harvesting, post-harvest production, to marketing agricultural products. To support the training, various interactive and interesting modules are made that are easy to use

News Source: Detik Finance

Pic. Source: Flickr

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Papua Governor Meets Minister of Youth and Sport regarding PON Preparation

The Governor of Papua, Lukas Enembe, met with the Minister of Youth and Sports, Imam Nahrawi in the Ministry’s office on Thursday (1/11/2018). He reported on the progress of preparation for the 2020 National Sports Week (PON).

Lukas at the same time conveyed other things besides the development of PON. Among other things, changes to the Presidential Instruction relating to changes of the match venue and request to use equipment from the previous Asian Games and Asian Para Games during the event.

“So far the Papuans have expressed their readiness, both for the 2020 PON and for the National Student Sports Week (Popnas) 2019,” said Menpora Secretary Gatot S. Dewa Broto.

According to Gatot the changes of the venue include the hockey branch venue which was previously set in Jayapura will be moved to Biak. The Ministry also allow utilization of the equipment from the previous Asian Games and Asian Para Games

“The point is that it is permitted. But, the Provincial Government must send a letter to the Minister of Youth ans Sport and the Minister of Transportation regarding what items are needed,” Gatot explained.

“And if you ask, there must be a warehouse to store the equipments because the they must get out of Jakarta no later than the end of November.” he added.

On the other hand, Gatot added, Kemenpora is currently conducting stocktaking of the equipment used in the Asian Games and the Asian Para Games 2018.

Source: Detik.com

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Archaeologist Finds Megalithic Statue in Srobu Site, Papua

By Alfian Rumagit / ANTARANEWS

Jayapura, Papua (ANTARA News) – An archaeologist from Papua Archaeological Center, Erlin Novita Idje Djami, together with her team, has found two megalithic statues of Polynesian style on the Mount Srobu site located in Abepantai Village, Abepura District, Jayapura City, Papua Province.

“In 2018, we have made a spectacular discovery, namely two megalithic statues of Polynesian style. But, I prefer to call them the megalithic statues of Srobu Papua,” she stated here on Wednesday.

She added that the discovery was extraordinary and unique because the statues were different from those found in other areas in Papua.

The two statues are one meter high and weigh around 50 to 60 kilograms.

“The two statues and other cultural materials are being analyzed at the Papua Archaeological Center,” Djami noted.

She revealed that the Srobu Mountain Site is one of the important archaeological sites in Jayapura city. This site is located on a cape in Youtefa Gulf. This area is a place for some locals to look for shells as raw material to make lime that is used for chewing betel.

“In February 2014, we got information that there were bones found in Srobu Mountain. The locals guessed the bones were those of Japanese soldiers,” she remarked, adding that the Papua Archeology Center, together with the Provincial Culture and Tourism Office, later went to the location to check the information.

“Surprisingly, we not only found bones but also various cultural objects, such as pottery fragments, stone tools, and mollusks shells. I can say that this is one of the great archaeological sites in Papua,” Djami revealed.

After that, the Papua Archeology Center set up a plan to conduct the first research in 2014.

“That year, we carried out a surface survey but did not cover all areas. We also carried out excavations and found a number of stone axe artifacts, oval axes, and tools made of shells, beside pottery with beautiful decoration, “he added.

According to E Djami , the findings of cultural objects characterize a culture from prehistoric times.

“From the dating, the Mount Srobu site has been inhabited since 3,780 before present or BP. This means the site is from Neolithic era, showing that Papua already has an extraordinary culture,” she noted.

In addition to Neolithic culture, in 2015, the researchers also found megalithic relics, in the form of menhirs and dolmens, which were neatly arranged on the ground.

“We will continue this research until this year. So, every year, our research on the Srobu Site discovers unique new things that illustrate a cultural revolution at that location,” she explained.

He hoped that the Srobu Site could become one of the historical tourist destinations in Jayapura City in particular, and Papua, in general.

“This Srobu Site is an open prehistoric settlement. Neolithic settlements in Indonesia are very few, but in Papua, the findings of this culture are extraordinary,” she elaborated, adding that Srobu Site is more unique than all the Neolithic or prehistoric settlement sites in Papua.

Source: Antaranews.com

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Papua Province Exhibits Prehistoric Discoveries

Illustration: Prehistoric human skeleton in South Sulawesi. Source: Detik.com

The Papuan Archeology Center is holding an archaeological exhibition at Saga Mall, Abepura District, Jayapura, from 23 to 25 October 2018, to introduce historical and prehistoric discoveries to public.

The manager of archeology data at the Papuan Archaeological Center Adi Dian Setiawan who is also the chairman of the exhibition committee in Jayapura City, said Monday that the actor was open to the public, not limited by age.

“The objective of this exhibition is to showcase the results of archeological research in Papua to the wider community,” he said while accompanied by senior researcher Hari Suroto and colleagues from the Papua Archeology Institute when arranging a number of objects to be exhibited.

According to him, other objectives of the exhibition were to provide an explanation to the public about the importance of historical and prehistoric remains in Papua.

“This exhibition is also to receive any information from the community whether there are potential archeological remains in certain areas to be followed up to do research and so on,” he said.

Furthermore, the alumni of Gajah Mada University revealed that the exhibitions objects includes photographs of the research in the field, also colonial and prehistoric artifacts.

“From the colonial era we have bottles, bullets and relics from World War II, whereas from prehistoric times we have pottery, bones, skulls, then fossil shells,” he said.

In addition, continued Adi, there was one miniature unit of the escaping box that was exhibited along with other historical and prehistoric objects.

“We want to show how archaeological research is carried out, one of which is the excavation methodology to get original data from the ground,” he said.

Excavation, he said, is a method of obtaining data by digging up land that is believed to have historical or prehistoric value, using information from local residents.

In line with the statement, the Head of the Papuan Archeology Center Gusti Made Sudarmika said there were still many studies carried out by his party but not yet known by a wide audience.

“If people know about the importance of the research and understand what archeology is, usually they will provide information and the community can help in preserving historical and prehistoric remains, because they already understand its importance,” he said.

Source: Antaranews.com

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Papua Provincial Government Prepares Aid of 4.2 Billion for Palu


Papua Governor sent a team of health workers to help victims and survivors in disaster-hit areas in Central Sulawesi

The Papua Provincial Government is preparing aid of IDR 4.2 billion (USD 280,000) for victims of the earthquake and tsunami disaster in Palu, Sigi and Donggala, Central Sulawesi. Papua Governor Lukas Enembe in Jayapura on Thursday said the aid was collected not only by the provincial government, but also by the districts and cities in Papua.

Earlier this week, Papua Provincial Government also sent a medical team to help victims and survivors in disaster-hit areas in Central Sulawesi.

“Today (18/10) we assembled a team from Papua to go to Palu to hand over the cash assistance in accordance with what was conveyed to President Joko Widodo when met some time ago,” he explained.

He hoped that people of Palu, Sigi, and Donggala affected by the disaster will be quickly recovered, the damaged infrastructure will soon be rebuilt, and the local government will resume normal activities and serve the community.

“We are optimistic that the Central Sulawesi Provincial Government and the Indonesian Government are able to solve everything, despite the earthquake that is indeed a major problem for Indonesia,” he said.

He explained that Indonesia is prone to earthquakes, so that all parties should think about how to build earthquake-resistant infrastructure, because if not, the people would continue to be victims.

In line with Lukas Enembe, Acting Head of the Papua Province Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), William R. Manderi, said that on Sunday (10/21), the team of six people would leave for Palu to hand over the funds, led by the Assistant for Government Affairs of the Papua Provincial Secretariat, Doren Wakerwa.

Source: Antaranews.com

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Papua Sends Medical Team to Palu

By Nethy Dharma Somba / The Jakarta Post


Papua Deputy Governor Klemen Tinal helps put a uniform vest on a health worker.

(Jayapura, Fri, 12/10). The Papua administration has dispatched a medical team to Palu, Central Sulawesi, to provide medical services following a strong earthquake and tsunami that impacted the region.

The team, comprising 10 medical workers, two Social Agency officials as well as two Papua Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) officials, departed for Makassar, South Sulawesi, on Thursday, and will continue their journey to Mutiara Sis Al Jufri Airport in Palu from there.

Papua Health Agency head Aloysius Giay said the team was taking medical supplies for diarrhea and upper respiratory tract infections, as well as food supplies.

“The team will stay in Palu for 10 days,” Aloysius said, adding that they would be focused on healthcare services.

“As we all know, there are many diseases that afflict people after disasters,” he added.

Previously, Papua Governor Lukas Enembe said the province would donate Rp 4 billion (US$ 263,032) to help with reconstruction.

Source: The Jakarta Post