HELLO FROM BUKA

Hi all
More news –
We are quickly in town today, so I thought I would try to post more news! Probably the last for a while, as we are in a week long strategic planning session from today until Friday... Although – I suspect the sessions will be a little different to what I am used to. We have a few things to do in town and although it is meant to be a quick trip it will more than likely take several hours. Things do not move quickly in this country. So in one week here I have helped secure an external venue hirer! My first and the first that the centre has had in ages... Ha! It is the community police with assistance from the NZ Police – they will be with us for a month (all 30 of them) – eating, sleeping as they have an in-service. The conditions are very basic, but they are used to that. And this location is perfect – it’s where the women and children come when their situation and safety has been compromised due to violence – often started in the village. So it will be good for the police to see what the aftermath is. We have 2 families staying here at the moment with 18 kids, so they will have to be relocated. We will keep the kids who are attending school here with us and look after them, and the mothers and smaller children will go to another village for some respite. Their safety in Southern Bougainville was compromised – this is 2 families of many.... Sister Lorraine was able to work with their families to get them out, and send the fathers off to Moresby and Rabul to be rehabilitated. The situation in southern Bougainville as I have been hearing over the past few days is volatile to say the least! Don’t worry, there are absolutely¬ no worries about the rest of the country going back into civil unrest – the country simply is not interested. Communities are trying their best to recover from the 10 years of war.... So we have the police coming, this will provide the centre with an income which will tide us over until we can secure some funding to run the operations. The team here does extraordinary work! But the main people here are tired, and getting exhausted from the constant and tireless work they do.
So let me describe Sister Lorraine – she is just remarkable, she’s strong, clear, focussed, she’s a perfectionist, and likes to live in a neat and ordered environment and village. The 18 kids who are basically not disciplined, or have not had the opportunity to learn how to do things the traditional way from their upbringing wear her down as she seems to be the key person to keep order in the place. We start a strategic session which will be the plan for the next 1-5 years at the centre, a bit like the sessions we used to have at the FAC for business planning. There are 3 projects apparently, so it’s clarifying what these are, setting some goals and then determining whether these are appropriate for funding applications from the agencies. This week will be full on - Lorraine is highly educated – but her staffs are not necessarily as knowledgeable. A challenge she finds frustrating. That’s why I am here! Training needs analysis, team building and succession planning! Getting it all in order... That amongst what I imagine will be plenty of other things! Lorraine is very switched on, as I said highly educated in Community Development, OD, HR, war and peace negotiations amongst other things. And she has some remarkable stories.
I am living in village life; it’s very very hard to explain where I am! Let me try. This project sits at the bottom of the gardens of the Sisters of Nazareth Congrega7tion. With any luck, I will be able to post some pics on my blog page. The sisters have a mother house, noviciates, and other various buildings, a church, and beautiful gardens. At the bottom of the gardens there is a small winding path which you follow and find a village with about 7 houses, water tanks, outside toilets, extensive gardens, and clothes lines. That’s where I live. The management of the centre is about 7 or 8 – and I am still not entirely sure about what they do! But that will come I guess... The sisters have been amazingly welcoming to me - I live in a small what I call a tree house. A small wooden house, with about 7 steps into a very small living room, two bed rooms, with offices underneath (we are thinking of making them bedrooms for more guests). And there are plenty of guests. I have 2 Australians at the moment next door, and bearing in mind you hear everything! They will be with us for 3 weeks working with the centre, helping out generally, and visiting friends. They have been before....
Buka is a very small town but lively. Many many people, and as AusAid, UNPD, the NZ police, and Australia Law and Justice officers are there, there seems to be plenty of expats – we go into Buka maybe twice a week and then when needed, its hotter and always takes the better part of a day! Time, this country has endless time.....
The sisters are a great bunch of people. Welcoming with lovely senses of humour. Sister Josephine has been my angel since arriving; she picked me up from the airport as Lorraine was in Buin at the congregations 75 year celebration. She took me in, made me welcome and cooked for the first few days while I settled. She will also continue to teach me Pidgin. She has a great sense of humour as I mentioned. I am slowly learning the names of the other sisters and where they fit in – as I am not catholic, and haven’t really been to church in some time, it’s been a steep learning curve for me! But not altogether unpleasant! They laugh and are very tolerant with me....
It’s been hot over the past few days; the sun is punchy so the shade of trees is always a relief. Mozzies and malaria are a major concern, since being here 4 or 5 have come down or had malaria; the sisters are very used to it so it’s about as regular as getting a cold. I am taking all precautions but can’t avoid all mozzies unfortunately. I am hoping that if I get it, the medication I am on will mean it’s not so fierce, and I am in good hands, with plenty of nurses who know about such things, me and my visitors will be well looked after.
I hope you are all well and smiling,
B