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Solomons students find home in PNG
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Posted on Nov 21 2000
Port Moresby (The National/PINA Nius Online) -Divided by ethnic clashes in the Solomon Islands students from there attending the University of Papua New Guinea have found a home away from home.
Saint Mary’s Anglican parishioners of Gerehu have fostered them as their sons while they are studying here.
According to the parish priest Fr. Danny they have been attending services at St. Mary’s since August.
Fr. Danny said while he was away in Melbourne the Chaplin at UPNG stepped in to look after the parish.
“All that time he brought these boys to attend service here and they have continued coming here,” he said.
The idea of creating a foster home for them began because the parishioners took it to be their responsibility to look after them and make them feel at home.
“They are from a country not far away from ours and we wanted to make them feel at home and the parishioners began to take them in and look after them,” said Fr. Danny.
The families mainly from Oro province have each taken one of the boys and given them a home away from home.
During their send off party at the weekend those foster parents whose “sons” were in their final year became emotional, many vowing their relationship is something they know will not be broken.
They said the parishioners have begun a trend that is quite new in our institutions, as PNG does not have a lot of international students.
”However what we have shown them is what we know our own children will need when they are away from home,” the parents said.
