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What is Poverty?They ...“have no money, no food, and are hardly surviving”
During the consultations, community residents and leaders, church leaders, and government, nongovernment, and private sector workers were asked to define poverty. They said they believe poverty exists in both rural and urban areas of PNG when people have too little
The biggest problem people cited was the need for safe drinking water; the second was lack of usable roads. One interviewee from Taluat Sikut village said, “...just get us a road...and see what we can do.” In addition, people cited the breakdown of the family as contributing to poverty through divorce, children's use of drugs, and criminal activity. Settlement Communities
Those consulted described the poor in settlement communities as those who use waste materials to build their houses, who lack decent clothing, who fear for their personal security due to crime, and basically “have no money, no food, and are hardly surviving.”
It is increasingly common for families living in the settlements to have only one meal a day. They are the emerging landless class in PNG; because they do not have traditional land tenure, they have very little or no land to cultivate food. They are constantly faced with the threat of eviction from the landowners. The presence of the settlers also prevents the landowners from using their own land. Urban settlers from the rural areas said that although living in the urban center is difficult, the situation is much worse in the rural areas where they must walk long distances to get to school, aid posts, and sell their produce. They believe going back to their villages in the rural areas will isolate them, cause them to miss out on services, and provide no means to earn cash. Jobless Youth, 20-Year-Old Male
“I was born in Tapini and lived in a oneroom shanty with my family. In 1997, my family moved to Port Moresby but remained in Tapini. In 1998, I left school—no school fees—and came to live in Tete Settlement with my family. The house was a small single room shack; apart from my mother, father, brothers and sister, a cousin and two of dad’s cousins also lived with us. Dad had work helping a local mechanic. Our family has a bush material house and gardens in Kurivu. We move between the two places bringing produce to Port Moresby for us to eat and sell. It used to cost K1.50 to get there by PMV; it now costs K4.00 each way. “Between 1998 and 1999, I had no work and moved to Tapini, Karopa, and Port Moresby. I was in bad company in Tete; sometimes I accompanied boys on break and enter raids. I was always afraid. In 1999, I met a girl who was also from Goilala. She was 15 and her father did not approve of me. We had a baby who is now one-and-a-half years old. The father now speaks to me and most nights, I stay at his house with my wife and baby. My family helped pay the bride price for my wife. “I did have some paid work in 2000, as a security guard and then in a supermarket. However, I have no regular job and mostly sit around all day in the Gerehu market with my friends. Sometimes I still accompany friends on break and enter raids. I usually get a small share of the takings. “I see a hard future ahead. I will continue to have no money for food, clothes, or travel. It is difficult to find work in the city. I have no skills and there is so much crime. Many of my friends have been killed in their struggle to survive, either by the police or in fights. My father-in-law and I have discussed the possibility of me getting a job in one of the mine sites. I want my daughter to go to school. This however will not happen unless my life changes.” Lack of EducationPoverty is “much worse” in rural areas
Most poor people have little formal education, difficulty reading and writing, and do not have training that would give them livelihood skills. Many, especially those raised in urban areas, also do not have traditional village survival skills such as fishing and hunting. The average education level of people consulted was Grade 5. Young people often leave school before they are skilled enough to get jobs, and they also do not have the skills needed to be productive in the village. Poor Service DeliveryWomen are responsible for growing crops for the family and to earn cash The poor quality of services has led many people to harbor a sense of grievance against the government. Most poor people are unable to access markets and services, such as health and education, because they don’t have access to transport. In both the rural and urban areas surveyed, most women and children have to walk long distances to sell goods, go to school, get to aid posts, and fetch water. One woman from Mussu Village, West Sepik, said she walked six hours to get to an aid post.
The living conditions in the settlements are often difficult as there is no on-site clean water, no electricity, poor housing, and crime. Is it Getting Worse?Most people in the communities consulted said that poverty has worsened in the last 5 years. The table below shows their views regarding the aspects of poverty that have worsened in the last 5 years. Most people surveyed in both rural and urban areas said the livesof women have worsened over the last 5 years. This was said to be due to women being responsible for planting and selling the garden produce as well as being responsible for the family’s food when men do not have jobs. And in situations where men are employed, women have taken over roles such as fishing and cutting sago palms— work that used to be done by men.
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