Papua New Guinea Projects Group

14/07/2025

Through the combined efforts of the PNG Project Group, the Oro Community Services Foundation, Rotary clubs in Australia and our own local Oro Cocoa Pty Ltd a 40 foot shipping container of hospital beds, other medical equipment and a huge amount of school and community aid items arrived at the Oro Cocoa Pty Limited site at Kongoho.
The container contents are being sorted and delivered to the hospitals, schools and people in need.

28/04/2024

Some time ago we changed our approach of putting down water bores to digging wells and lining them with concrete rings.
To facilitate this two of the PNG Project team in Australia developed bolt together steel concrete well ring moulds.
Our PNG team members use these to make our concrete well rings.
At our base we are fortunate to have a good supply of clean river gravel. The team sieves and grades the dug gravel and mix this with cement for the pour.
As a result we have a stockpile of concrete well rings when we get to PNG.

28/04/2024

The 2023 PNG Project team installed a solar panel array on a building adjacent to the well to power the new solar powered pump. The panels and pump were provided at no cost to the school.

28/04/2024

The team also assembled the pre-fabricated 76,000 litre water tank on site at the Popondetta Secondary school.

28/04/2024

We had “promised” the Popondetta Secondary school we would:
• dig a well and provide and set up a solar panel array and fit a solar submersible pump
• Provide and install a 76,000 litre prefabricated steel water tank.
• Provide and install poly pipe from the new installation to the intended end locations (student dorms and toilets).
We were able to get he work done during our 2023 trip.
It was a big job.
Fortunately our PNG Projects Group indigenous team members were able to get the well dug and lined with concrete well rings before we got there. The team also fabricated and erected a tank stand and set a water tank on it.

27/04/2024

During the 2023 PNG Project trip we had been asked if we could provide a clean water solution at Kakandetta, a small community close to Popondetta.
We inspected the location and thought it was possible but it depended on how hard the digging was.
As we had sufficient materials and a spare pump at our depot, we allocated 3 team members to see what could be achieved.
With the support of Kakandetta community men we were able to successfully dig a 5.4 metre well, line it with 9 concrete rings, fit a hand pump and provide a backup bailer in case the pump fails.
This was extremely well received by the community.

27/04/2024

We’re back from the 2023 PNG Project trip.
We had started several projects before the Covid pandemic which we hoped to complete and we had new projects we wanted to do.
The most significant project that we wanted to complete was the rebuild of a Popondetta Secondary school practical skills building.
This year we were fortunate to have a new team from the Rotary Club of Toowoomba (Queensland, Australia) join us. The boys from Toowoomba had agreed to take on the rebuild.
The team did a magnificent job and almost completed the work. They reclad the outside and inside walls, re-wired the building, installed a new electricity switchboard and fitted new switches, lights and fans.
The PNG Project team and our PNG National mates provided the labour. The materials were all provided at no cost to the school.

14/09/2021

What is the PNG Projects Group?

The PNG Projects Group (PNG PG) is a partnership of PNG Nationals and Australians whose primary objective is to sink shallow water bores or wells provide and install hand pumps in remote rural villages and communities in Papua New Guinea’s Oro (Northern) Province). More specifically in the Ijivitari District of Oro Province.

Since 2015 the PNG PG has sunk 17 bores or wells and provided and installed, at no cost, solar and hand pumps on them. The locations where we’ve worked include Sariri, Kongoho, Embogo, Embessa, Karaisa, Emo, Foru, Sarawassa, Bobo, Oro fishing community (see on the map image below).

Allied to water provision work we provide and distribute humanitarian aid materials and, where we can, feminine hygiene products, teaching materials, books & sports equipment to remote schools.

31/08/2021

The Papua New Guinea Popondetta Secondary School (Pop Sec) is the location of our current major clean water provision project.
We became aware of a ridiculous situation at the school in 2019. Pop Sec was forced to send students home because the school could not afford its water bill so the local water authority turned off the school’s water supply meaning the school had no option but to close. The PNG Water authority did it again in 2020 and 2021.
The school Principal came to us and asked for assistance to minimise the chance of this happening again.
Unfortunately, the Covid19 pandemic prevented the Australian volunteer team from going to PNG in 2020 and 2021 however one of our PNG indigenous team members has mobilised the locals and started the project work themselves.
The PNG team have dug a 10 metre deep well and lined it with concrete rings, hand lowering the rings to the bottom. Each ring weighs around 150kg.
The going wasn’t easy. There are no mechanical tools available for the team to use, it was all dug by hand. The team sat a concrete ring on the ground and started digging. As they dug the concrete ring slipped into the hole. As they dug further down additional concrete rings were added.
The following is an extract of an email the Principal of Popondetta Secondary School sent me:
“Elijah is truly a great man. I saw his son Estrich 8m down the well hammering an ordinary 30cm chisel on a huge bolder and it appeared the effort was hopeless so told Elijah to call it quit. He smiled and said, "we'll crack the devil don't worry Principal". And sure enough the small chisel did cut through the boulder by a mare hand swing.”
The team has found water but the well will need to be deepened further to increase the inflow. Ultimately we’ll set up a solar panel array and fit one of Commodore’s solar powered submersible pumps to it. We recently purchased and sent the school a 70 000 litre water storage holding tank which will be connected to the well or bore pump. This will be connected to a 5000 litre tank on a tankstand with the water from the holding tank pumped to it to achieve distribution pressure. The water will then be piped to the chosen locations.
If you can help us help the PNG people help themselves or would like more information about our work contact:
Tony Austin
International Services Director
PNG Projects Group Coordinator
Rotary Club of Warrnambool
pngprojectsgroup@gmail.com
+61 400 688 941

23/06/2021

Disaster!
On 27 February this year our PNG indigenous team was on their way to a water provision job when they got into trouble in the Pongani River.
Unfortunately our Landcruiser Troop Carrier was swept away with the team still inside.
Thankfully the team got out ok but the vehicle was destroyed.
This is by far the biggest setback our project has had to face.
At this stage we have no hope of finding sufficient money to replace it. Without a suitable vehicle we cannot operate.

21/06/2021

Another batch of 6 pumps have been manufactured by the PNG Projects Group for the “Fifty pumps for fifty villages” project. They will be provided free of any cost and installed in remote villages in Oro Province.
They are currently in a container about to be shipped to Oro province.

07/08/2020

This is an amazing photo of a very special neighbour of Australia.

Papua New Guinea has such a beautiful village culture. It is a unique and I believe a sustainable culture, with a bit of support. I would be devastated to take a photo from this same location in 20 years (probably be dead anyway) and see logging, palm oil or mining replacing this photo. Tourism is the sustainable way forward for our amazing neighbors in these pristine locations. They just need a hand to get there.

Aussie Broadband is a major supporter of the PNG Projects Group and has provided funding that helps us to deliver on our 50 pumps for 50 villages program. Without the support of Aussie Broadband and other businesses we would not be able to deliver on or passionate objectives.