Strong Partnership Helps Deliver Essential Services to the Remote Bougainville Atoll Islands

Excerpt and Photo from postcourier.com.pg

The atoll islands of Ta’aku (Mortlock), Nuguria (Fead), Tulun (Carterets), Nukumanu (Tasman), and Nissan Island are the most remote of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville.

The inhabitants of these islands have to travel 200 to 500km to reach Buka, often sailing in open, treacherous seas and sustaining high fuel costs.

To bring services to these islands the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) has to charter a large vessel safe enough to transport public servants and large enough to allow the delivery of several different essential services in one trip.

Through the Community Government Institutional Strengthening Project (CGISP), a partnership initiative between the ABG Department of Community Government, the Australian Government and Government of New Zealand, the ABG chartered MV Athan Spirit to deliver solar light kits to over 3,000 island households.