Church offers support to thousands of refugees in PNG

The main beneficiaries of the Church projects are refugees from West Papua who have come to Port Moresby and live in temporary shelters or overcrowded camps. They are predominantly single men without families, aged between 50 and 60. They survive mainly by selling firewood, empty cans and newspapers, and with the help of a few benefactors. However, there are also women, elderly people and young people looking for work.

According to the United Nations, approximately 10,000 refugees from West Papua live in the camps around Port Moresby, such as Hohola and Waigani, but also throughout Papua New Guinea.

Many of the refugees have been registered and have also obtained Papuan citizenship through a naturalisation process initiated by the local government. The country recently committed to implementing measures to improve the protection of refugees, including legislative reform to recognise refugee status for future arrivals and the naturalisation of refugees already present.

However, many of these refugees continue to live in precarious conditions. For this reason, various Catholic organisations, such as Caritas Papua New Guinea, are continuously working to improve the integration of refugees and also provide them with legal and medical assistance.

Collaboration with local authorities in various regions of PNG has seen several facilities established for refugees. Projects are being supported by the Episcopal Conference of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands and funded by the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC).

Representatives from the ICMC visited some of the facilities recently and held discussions on the best ways to support refugees. Future projects aimed at promoting the integration of refugees into local society were also considered.

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OCEANIA/PAPUA NEW GUINEA – Migrants and Refugees: Catholics committed to helping vulnerable communities living in the country (Fides)