Project Description
Year: 2023
Amount: € 950,-
Where: Baliem
Efet was born in Kampung Yelekama in the Baliem Valley. His family lived off the land worked by Efet’s father and mother. Efet describes this life as ‘simple but happy’. By the time Efet goes to primary school, the government enters the village. Yelekama is being expanded for economic and military purposes, at the expense of the residents’ living area. People lose their homes and income and harmony is disrupted. Various people are recruited for tasks and professions, and so Efet’s father also disappears from family life.
Fortunately, Efet’s uncle takes care of him, his mother and his brother. This uncle struggles to bring together the resources to help Efet through primary and secondary education. That was far from easy. Efet says that he often wanted to give up hope. No study without money. Yet a solution kept coming his way.
Papua is an underdeveloped region in many respects. Not least when it comes to infrastructure, irrigation, bridge and road construction. It inspired Efet to enroll – after high school – to study civil engineering at the university in the capital Jayapura.
When Hapin comes into contact with Efet, he has already come a long way, but he has had to temporarily stop his studies because the tuition fees could not be paid. Fortunately, we were able to help Efet and he started again – with a scholarship from Hapin.
