The Drought

Before our arrival, a long drought had been going on for eight or nine months. When we received calls from Yehebi (while we were still in the USA), they said their gardens were not producing food. Sago, a main starchy staple was the only food they were eating. With limited nutrition, this food filled their bellies but offered little in nutrients. We were worried what condition we would find everyone. 

Upon our arrival everyone looked okay, but very thin. It was obvious the drought had taken a toll on everyone. Some ladies don’t seem to weigh 100 pounds. We raised some funding for food relief before we left, so the first few days after our arrival we passed out the food we had: 100 kilos of rice, a carton of tinned fish, Maggi (soup) noodles, and a couple bags of sweet potatoes and cabbage we had purchased in Mt. Hagen. They were pretty excited and decided to cook up everything that night. (It’s either feast or famine for them).

Everything was divided out between four villages, and later we went up to join them for a plate of food. Even the children had plates piled high with food and ate more than I could eat. What they didn’t finish was eaten before bed or the next morning.

Figuring out how to divide up the food.

Later, a friend came up and said, “We were really hungry, but all the rice filled us up. My husband is in the house sleeping.” I'm sure a good meal was what they needed. 

No food aid from the government had arrived here until five days before our arrival when a government-sponsored plane dropped off a load of rice. It was passed out to surrounding villages and all eaten before our arrival the next week. They were told they would receive 6 more planes of rice, but now they have been told the government has run out of money. 

It has been raining for about a month now, so everyone is working hard in their gardens planting taro, bananas, sweet potato, and other local items. We also passed out some pumpkin seeds and other seeds that we bought. It will take a few months for their gardens to produce, so their diet will be lean for a while longer. 

We had hoped to supplement our own diet with local vegetables, but that has not been possible. So we are depending on rice, dried beans, tin foods, flour and other items that we have flown in here. We were lucky to get a stalk of bananas and a fresh papaya this last week. 

Outlying villages like this are still a forgotten people while the larger populated areas get the help. But with the rain, they have hope now that things will change soon as they watch their gardens grow.

Pastor Kilas, his wife, daughter and his father-in-law eating at the church.

 

 

 

(C) 2016  Carin G. LeRoy
All Rights Reserved.