Hier möchten wir euch Personen aus Papua Neu Guinea vorstellen. Die verschiedenen Lebensgeschichten verdeutlichen das schwierige Umfeld, in denen Jugendliche in den Settlements aufwachsen. Sie unterstreichen aber auch den Handlungsbedarf.

(June 2009)

I am Jack from Southern Highlands Province. My village is called Munima and it is in the Tari District. My story is about how I face life in Port Moresby with no support. In 1997 I came up to Port Moresby from Tari in Southern Highlands Province. When I arrived in Moresby I had no choices where to stay and I had nothing. I started chewing betlenut and smoking drugs, stealing and so on. But most of the time I sell Buai and smoke, and also I sell drugs, to make a living. This is what I used to do everyday and it is in my blood. I am still living in the 8 Mile Settlement in Port Moresby with the same life. That's the end of my story and this is the life I am facing.

(June 2009)

My name is Emmanuel. I will be living in 8 Mile Settlement for the rest of my life. I don't know where I'll end up or what my future holds for me. People in 8 Mile call me 'drug body' and a criminal, because I am not perfect in their eyes, and I am always misbehaving in the community. People ignore me because I was educated in the wrong way and my self interests were wrong. From the beginning I learnt how to live corruptly in 8 Mile. I started to move around with my peer group, my street boys, when I was only in Grade Two. I used to watch movies in the street and the big boys would send me to buy their smokes, their drugs, and their alcohol. I would go around with them in the cars that they stole and we would go to town (Port Moresby city) and then come back again to 8 Mile Settlement. I was taught very early on how to smoke drugs and to drink alcohol. I learnt how to see valuable things, and I learnt how to steal them. I have stolen cars, computers, mobile phones and many other things. I had to steal to survive. In 2000, in Grade Four, I had to leave school because my relatives refused to pay my school fees. I lost interest in school and I didn't care about getting an education at all. I stayed in 8 Mile Settlement and found my own way to survive in life. I know I was educated wrongly by the street boys, but I began to use the skills I had learned to survive in this world. There were many days when I had nothing to eat, and I went hungry. Sometimes I never ate all day and all night, and I went to sleep hungry with no proper home to go. I began to realise the amount of poverty that existed in the community and at the same time, I never had any guidance or help to look after myself. I needed to steal to survive. To enjoy life I had a little bit of alcohol, and I bought this with the last money I had from any lucky steal that I had done. The next day I would have no money again, and so I would go out and steal again. You can not know how hard my life was here. You do not understand. I went to jail for two years, and even when I came out of jail, I could not live the quiet life, and I went back to stealing. I still can not live quiet because for me to survive I need to steal, and to be honest, I do not know where my life is going. I do want to thank Mr David Motsy and Mr Sean Davey for educating me and for giving me a good understanding of the real life. I am going to change my life and I am going to change myself because of this workshop that we did this week in the 8 Mile community.

Written with the assistance of Emmanuel's friend Desmond Venigo

Date: 29th January 2008

I was heart broken when I jumped on the plane. I thought that I was losing something that I could not explain. It was really sad to leave Mendi, the place where I belong. Buy reality and the fact of life says that now I am not from Mendi. When I arrived in Port Moresby city, the day was obviously fine, but I was feeling uneasy and my mind was troubled. But after the day passed I made up my mind not to think too much, and instead I focused that were going to happen tomorrow. Discussion making must be wise. Words that you say, and things that you do. I knew I would harvest well in life if I made focused decisions. But I didn't know what my future would be when I arrived here. There is a good advantage behind me, and I know I will achieve my goals in life, no matter what happens. I am standing on the ground that will never fall. Education is the key to success.