Papua New Guinea

Partnerships for Civil Society Adult Education Initiatives

ADRA-UK and ADRA Papua New Guinea have launched the “Partnerships for Civil Society Adult Education Initiatives” project, which is jointly funded by the Government of the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) and ADRA-UK.

Through this project, 25,600 people will learn to read and write and 2800 people will be involved in income generation activities. Most of the participants in this project will be women.

This project will reduce poverty by working with community based organisations and the PNG government to improve education and income generation opportunities. The community and government will learn more about the right to education, the rights of women and the disabled. People who learn to read and write earn more money, have better health for themselves and for their children, can participate more effectively in the community and can more successfully influence public authorities on issues that affect their lives. Papua New Guinea is a country with good natural resources and limited political strife. However, levels of poverty are high, particularly in rural communities, with 37% of the population living at or below the poverty line. Papua New Guinea was ranked 137th on the Human Development Index (out of 177) in 2005 and life expectancy is just 55 years. Papua New Guinea’s literacy rate is the lowest in the region with only 51% of women being able to read and write.

The project, which is worth £515,828, is scheduled to last three years. DFID have provided £495,000 and the remaining £20,828 was provided by private donations to ADRA-UK.