In Papua, teachers are barely educated and often see their work as a way to enrich themselves. They also resort to physical punishment. Often teachers do not or hardly attend school, while being paid. After primary and even secondary education, they can often barely read and write. Illiteracy is on the rise. Future prospects diminish.
If teachers provide more and better teaching, children will learn more, their chances of further education will increase, there will be more highly educated professionals in society, and thus more chances that other children will be taught better and their prospects improved. The aim is to provide better education, by better-trained, idealistic teachers. Your help can contribute to achieving this change.
The indigenous Papuans belong to the Melanesian peoples and have been predominantly Christian since the arrival of the missionaries in the 1960s. A lack of education and opportunities drives them to the fringes of society. This is reinforced by the clash with the dominant Indonesian culture. The Christian Papuans feel marginalized and have little self-esteem. They need your support.
Poverty is often the result of a lack of opportunities. Education offers opportunities and is therefore vital from an early age. This education should be provided by dedicated and capable teachers who can teach the children the appropriate skills and mold them into valuable people. They can then make a difference and help break the vicious cycle of poverty in their families and in their communities. That is what you are helping to do.
Teaching teachers is not confined to the classrooms, but also takes place outside of these. Lectures, talks, communal activities, living together in boarding schools, it all happens at Karunia’s campus. This requires educational materials, maintenance and expansion of buildings. Your support is indispensable.
In 1962, the Netherlands withdrew from Papua. Papua was then ‘not yet ready for self-determination’ and was forcibly incorporated into Indonesia. Since then, things have not improved. The Netherlands can still help Papua develop by supporting education that takes place from within and is therefore sustainable. It is our responsibility as a Dutch people.
Society in the highlands of Papua is in crisis. The rapid changes taking place since the sixties, the arrival of Indonesia and the crumbling of traditional forms of society have taken their toll. Aggression and frustration are rife and norms and values are fading. The young generation is growing up without a sense of direction. The warmth of Christian values and norms like loving the other, focusing on the other instead of focusing on yourself, are our guiding principles. Living with a purpose makes one grateful. This radically different sound is what you are helping to propagate.
Karunia’s approach has proven itself at a local level by stimulating intrinsic motivation among teachers and ensuring anchored development that is passed on to the next generation. With your help, we can take this forward nationally and also internationally.
