When I was 21 I had the amazing privilege to spend a few months living with the Hupla tribe in the remote Highland region of West Papua, Indonesia. Although it was a somewhat magical experience the reality is that the people are being accelerated from hunter-gatherer lifestyles and subsistence farmer communities into the 21st century in just one or two generations. This has led to a number of development challenges, including: spread of diseases (such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria), limited economic opportunities, lack of infrastructure and a poor level and access to education. 

Papua Partners was founded in 2006 in response to requests from local organisations in Papua for support in capacity development. It works along-side local organisations and churches and is committed to transforming lives in Papua through tackling the causes and effects of poverty and social injustice. This is done through the provision of technical advisors (Papua Partners currently has two full-time field workers in Papua - my old flatmate and fellow traveller and her husband!) and by providing direct financial support to innovative and sustainable development initiatives. Papua Partners believes that partnering with local organisations is a more sustainable way to work since these organisations will remain with the local communities long after foreign aid agencies have left.

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