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On point Angra. Too much wastage. PIP has become a political tool since 2012. The issue is over spending which the govt never put a lid on. Budget process became political process and the IFMS has proven it.

I totally agree with you on this Lucinda!

I lived in Oecussi for two years as an anthropologist and ILO advisor and have just published a book on the place, so I have a pretty good sense of how things go there. Are you seriously claiming that as a result of ICRO, the rate of hand-washing before meal preparation went from nothing to more than half? Or that three times as many people now wash their hands 'after defection' as they did before. In the course of three years? Seriously? Your table doesn't 'show results', it shows that people (including your superiors I imagine) are unreasonably prone to believing what they see in tables, even if it is clearly out of touch with reality. You also imply that the 'community-based savings and loans groups' that operate in Oecussi's villages have something to do with ICRO, neglecting to mention (or more likely simply not being aware, I presume you don't live in Oecussi and are too busy to learn Uab Meto) that they've been round since the Indonesian era. Your neglecting to mention this essential context is really quite deceptive. I realise that your job involving doing public relations, but your claiming partial credit for COVID-19 not spreading in the Enclave is really quite misleading.

Road maintenance is essential but unfortunately, maintenance is often neglected or improperly performed resulting in rapid deterioration of the road and eventual failure from both climatic and vehicle use impacts. Thank you for bringing such topic into light!! This Evolvetraining.ac.nz is very useful and its related to what you have actually mentioned here

The CDW National Standard has provided the platform and opportunity for community development practitioners (informal) in the communities to become the catalyst for and facilitator of change within their local settings. Not only that, it has enabled them to grow and become better at what they do and beyond - taken onto a formal job in the public sector, extractive industries and civil society. I like it because it's PNG tailored - culturally sensitive, encourages community participation especially women, allows communities to own their development in an accountable and sustainable way, encourages community contributions and use of existing governance structure to deliver basic services in a smarter way. At the end of the day, it's the satisfaction you attain from being part of the reason for putting a smile on; a child's face having a new classroom in the local school; a woman who feels empowered and confident now that she can read, write & do basic calculations; a man who has just learnt new agriculture techniques, skills and knowledge and feels empowered to provide and invest in his family/community.

We take for granted that every person who works in a community has the ability to communicate and facilitate processes that helps a community to find a roadmap for their own development story. Sadly that's not always the case. CD skills can be taught, learnt and applied where appropriate. It's not about you, it always has to be about the community. To be able to help communities find their way forward, the CDW Standard equips the Community Worker to be able to facilitate and not dictate to communities about meaningful change. It requires a change in mindset on the part of the Community Development Worker.

I would be happy to provide my ideas for improvement from the disability perspective if that can help in any way.

The CDW Standard is a very useful tool that can be simplified and used to train Ward development committees to equip them with basic knowledge on how to engage the community in implementing community based projects.

The CDW National Standard is one of the best initiatives, giving hope to people who did not complete formal education, are new to work with communities or new graduates from University who had no experience. The Standard guides the person to be a good facilitator/trainer and to understand the appropriate approaches of working in the communities. The standard is PNG tailored and suits all sectors that work with communities. If you want to be good at what you do in development, this standard will make you give the best. The Standard is live and can be used upon request.

Thanks for this interesting article Taukiei Kitara and Carol Farbotko. We’re observing similar shifts for Indigenous school children in Australia too. Ninti One was fortunate to manage a major 6-year education research program - the ‘Remote Education Systems’ project, which added to the body of knowledge about how remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities can get the best benefit from the teaching and learning in and out of schools. These learnings are directly applicable to the current ‘out of school’ impact COVID-19. The CRC project found that many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in remote communities believe that the purpose of education is to learn language, country and local knowledge, and for students to become Two-Ways strong. The idea of Two-Way broadly involves language knowledge, including literacy skills of home language and English, and cultural and social knowledge pertaining to Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal domains. The importance of education was also seen to support a student’s identity that promotes community leadership and prepare young people for engagement in the world.

Hi Jo. Yes I agree that donors don't make it easy and we are working in a very competitive industry. For me the first step is taking care of ourselves and letting the rest flow from there. That's why I'm super passionate about working with International Development Professionals to look at their own self-care practices and mindset and to help them see the links between self-care and impact.

Thank you!