Church Partnerships for Community Service (PNG)
Papua New Guinea has faced considerable governance and development challenges for decades, with poor education and health outcomes and community violence impacting all.
Knowing that churches were the strongest civil society structures in PNG, the Church Partnership Program brings together seven churches and their Australian faith based NGO counterparts together with support from the Australian government to deliver health and education services, covering the vast majority of the country in doing so.
Our partners, the United Church in PNG continue to be part of this program to build peace, reduce disaster risk and impact, and more recently to address gender inequality and work towards social inclusion nationally.
We have also been supporting a network of Pacific theologians to create theological resources for gender equality (Bible studies, workshop materials etc) and work with the Church Partnership Program and our partners to lead a dialogue in gender equality across PNG.
Use our resources on gender equality theology in your church or Bible study group! Download them here.
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Bible Studies on Human Dignity and Equality
-Rev Dr Cliff Bird and UnitingWorld
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The Theology of Gender Equality
-Church Partnership Program
“The Theology of Gender Equality is built upon ten, theological principles that enable participation and inclusion of both men and women in creating and sustaining communities that reaffirm, respect, and celebrate that being female and male are divine gifts.”
Our ImpactBrought seven denominations together to adopt gender equality as their doctrinal position, and created a community of practice to advance this understanding throughout their communities. Created a co-ordinated approach to preparing for and responding to natural disasters, leading to a highly effective recovery from the El Nino famine in 2015 and now for the earthquakes in 2018. Provided health services and education services right across PNG, particularly to remote areas where neither private nor government services are available. Since 2016, our partners have provided training to 300 leaders in their professional areas of education, health and women’s empowerment. |
Papua New Guinea
United Church in PNG
Disaster Preparation, Gender Equality, Poverty Alleviation, Strong Leadership
News from the field
- PNG village unites for clean water
A community in Papua Guinea came together to construct a system to improve the water quality of their entire village. In the remote village of Masingara in Western Province, the people have been determined to improve the quality of life in their community. For years, people in the area had been sourcing their water from an unprotected pond outside the village. Despite it being fed by a natural spring, the water quality was very poor and people had to travel long distances ... - Time is running out to prevent catastrophe in PNGCOVID-19 cases are rising uncontrolled in Papua New Guinea, putting thousands of people at risk in remote areas without access to clean water or adequate health care. The outbreak has also exposed Australia’s north to a new wave of infection. The Australian Government has responded to the emergency with a plan to immediately send 8,000 COVID-19 vaccines to PNG alongside an Australian Medical Assistance Team. The aim is to protect front line health workers, but the long-term race to vaccinate people ...
- COVID-19 crisis response in Papua New GuineaFrequent and proper hand hygiene is one of the most important measures to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks. Our partners the United Church in Papua New Guinea (UCPNG) are working across 17 communities in Milne Bay province to run COVID-19 awareness sessions and installing handwashing stations with soap, instructional posters and steps so children can reach (see left of pic 1). Supported by the Australian Government Disaster READY initiative, UCPNG and other PNG church partners will be helping support the immediate needs of almost ...
- Equality through theology in Papua New GuineaBiblical training continues to help unlock chains of oppression for women in Papua New Guinea, one of the toughest places on earth to be born female. Many of you have heard about our gender theology work for women’s equality. Last month thirty-four men and women from all seven of the mainline church denominations in Papua New Guinea met together to continue to champion the cause. Each received intensive training in gender equality from the Bible and is passionate about influencing gender ...
