Comments

Hi Judy, I am an admirer and supporter of the Hon Bryan Kramer. I expressed my interest to do volunteer work on community governance, law and justice, and gender awareness in Madang two years ago to a colleague who was doing ward development planning in Madang District for the MP. I put my hand up for an MP who promotes 'governance where people matter'. You may contact me.

Sarah, where are you based at present. I was asked by the PNG Police Minister to develop and help run educational workshops in his province, to help reduce violence, as a trial for other locations. I would like to talk with you more. I can send you my email if you would like to talk about what I have outlined, after long discussions with a number of people in PNG. regards

Thank you Judy. I am only glad the story got to be published. There are other stories too for learning and sharing, for lifting each other up.

Thank you Juliet for your support! We continue to do what we can for our people. Our government has to be the first to notice and advocate for our support with donors. But alas! It's often the other way around. Donors come looking ... And they see and support only what they want to support.

There should also be an investigation about the vast number of Tongans (& other Polynesians) who have participated in the program and have had severe heatstroke, illnesses and deaths due to the weather and living conditions. There have been many times where these workers have been ripped off by the employers sending them home with $1,000AUD to zero dollars. Many of these Tongan boys are not able to speak English to fight or speak up against their employer and don't understand their rights to their pay, therefore forcing many of them to run away and become illegal overstayers in Australia. More importantly some of these workers come here to work and withstand harsh weather conditions, long hours (some working 15hr+ days) and receive less than the minimum wage which is just inhumane. Australia is a country of opportunity and equal rights, however unfortunately it does not apply to the SWP.

Truly appreciate your work and the participation of Tonga in this brilliant program.

Thanks so much for sharing your journey with all of us Sarah. I agree that "leading from behind" is a fundamental principle of ethical and effective community development practice - and it can mean (and should mean) that community actions sometimes go in directions that one did not anticipate, or perhaps even agree with. I do hope that those of us on the donor side of the development sector can take this story and this principle even further - by recognising that the donor/expatriate role is not to "lead from behind", but to support people like you who are implementing these local community development practices. This requires us to reflect upon and challenge the prevalent disposition to call ourselves "experts", and to take on a bit more humility - both personally, and structurally, including at the donor organisational level, and in relation to the broader funding architecture.

Thank you Sarah. An important read for me. It is time in PNG for the women leaders to be heard and seen ... and you show the way.

Well researched and written Mr Moses Sakai.

Can we have a list of farmers who wish to recruit seasonal labour and we can communicate directly with them? The government offers are too biased and there is a practice of nepotism that is killing the interest of most young people.

Yes, good point! The East Sepik women were defining their own development paths - up against the odds. But now the context seems even harder to negotiate in many ways.

Thank you Kuntala. I very much appreciated your blog from 11 May 2018 (Development workers behaving badly).