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Supiori villagers enjoy better life in autonomy era

Villagers in Supiori regency, Papua, now enjoy power, clean water as well as free education and healthcare, as 38 villages across the regency receive special autonomy funds amounting Rp 1

Nethy Dharma Somba (The Jakarta Post)
Jayapura
Sat, March 8, 2014

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Supiori villagers enjoy better life in autonomy era

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illagers in Supiori regency, Papua, now enjoy power, clean water as well as free education and healthcare, as 38 villages across the regency receive special autonomy funds amounting Rp 1.2 billion (US$104,895) per village.

All the villages have been connected to the power grid and water pipeline and each family is entitled to 50 kilograms of rice monthly, while students are exempt from school fees and university students even receive scholarships.

'€œResidents can now watch television and new students are provided with uniforms and other paraphernalia. So, things are much better now. Why live in the city when the village is comfortable now?'€ said Mia Mandosir, a mother of three, in Wandos village.

Besides free education and living necessities, residents also receive free health care. '€œSick residents can visit the puskesmas [community health center] for free treatment and medication,'€ said Mia.

Before 2011, Mia and her children preferred to live with her parents in Biak due to the conditions in the village: She had to fetch water from a spring and use kerosene lamps at night.

Supiori gained autonomy from Biak Numfor regency in 2003. It comprises five districts encompassing 38 villages and has 19,182 residents. It is categorized as one of the 148 disadvantaged regions, but things have changed. In Wandos, every family is provided with a permanent home, equipped with a guest room and two bedrooms, and is given Rp 10 million for construction fees.

'€œAll building materials are free, including bricks, timber, cement and roofing. We also received Rp 10 million to cover construction workers'€™ wage. Actually, my husband was one of our construction workers, so we also received money from the wage,'€ said Mia.

Mia and other villagers no longer have to worry about the financial burden of education.

The Supiori regency administration has also facilitated a free delivery service for expectant mothers, which covers all the expenses and an infant and mother supply kit. The government has set aside Rp 1 billion for the delivery package.

Supiori Regent Fred Manufandu said he had been motivated by many factors.

'€œThe important thing is how to create a smart and healthy generation. How can children be healthy and smart if they are undernourished or if they face difficulties in getting to school because they cannot afford transportation,'€ Fred said.

'€œSome people are critical that such a system would spoil people. But what would happen in the future if the current generation is not healthy and smart? The regency would always be disadvantaged, so we need to do something.'€

All the villages are connected to the road network, except those on the small islands, where people must use boats. To assist the islanders, the Supiori regency administration provided 232 outboard motors.

In 2012, Manufandu received an award from the Disadvantaged Regions Ministry for managing the regency budget and for efforts to accelerate development in a disadvantaged region.

Manufandu also received a healthcare award from Papua Governor Lukas Enembe in January this year, as well as an award from the Indonesian Journalists Association Biak chapter in Supiori for developing rural areas.

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