NABIRE, Central Papua — The Mutiara Hitam Papua Foundation (YMH Papua), in collaboration with Black Pearl Network (BPN) Australia, held a Clean Water Installation Workshop at the foundation’s head office in Sanoba Pantai, Nabire, on Monday, September 7, 2026.

The training targeted 30 participants from two church districts in Central Papua—Nabire and East Nabire. A total of 22 participants attended and completed the full-day workshop.

Throughout the day, participants were trained to assess the quality of the water they consume daily and to install rainwater-harvesting systems that can provide safe drinking water. The activity was made possible through the partnership between the Evangelical Christian Church in the Land of Papua (GKI in Tanah Papua) and its church partner in Australia, the Uniting Church in Australia Synod of Western Australia. The benefits of this partnership are now being directly experienced by young church members in Central Papua.

Nabire is not, in fact, an area lacking in water. Climate data for Nabire from 2007 to 2020 recorded average annual rainfall of approximately 4,815 millimetres over 209 rainy days. This means that rain falls on more than half the days in a year. The city has no dry month. The lowest monthly rainfall was recorded in October at approximately 340 millimetres, while the highest was recorded in March at around 523 millimetres. Records from 2021 show a similar pattern: rainfall occurred every month throughout the year, averaging 423.80 millimetres per month, with between 19 and 29 rainy days each month.

The real issue lies elsewhere. Abundant water is not necessarily safe to drink, and much of it is allowed to run into the ground without being used. As a simple illustration, a house in Nabire with a roof area of 50 square metres could potentially collect around 240,000 litres of rainwater per year. Even if only 80 percent were captured, the household could still collect approximately 190,000 litres annually—more than 500 litres per day. Until now, much of that water has simply fallen and gone to waste.

The workshop was opened by YMH Papua Supervisory Board member Mrs R. Kafiar, M.Kp. In her remarks, Mrs Kafiar expressed appreciation and gratitude that the foundation continues to carry out concrete action at the grassroots level. She said that training such as this enables the foundation to be directly present among church congregations, rather than limiting its work to plans on paper. She expressed hope that participants would apply the knowledge they gained after returning to their respective congregations.

Also present to support the activity was Jerry Simunpendi, YMH Papua’s Clean Water Programme Manager. His presence underlined that the workshop was not a stand-alone activity, but part of the foundation’s ongoing clean water programme operating across various areas of the Land of Papua.

The training was delivered by Ribka Yoteni, S.T., a technical staff member of the foundation who is widely known as Kak Adel. A Papuan civil engineering graduate, she was previously trained directly by Dr David Scott, a water specialist from BPN Australia. In the workshop room, that knowledge was passed on once again—from Australia to Kak Adel, and from Kak Adel to young members of the congregations.

Kak Adel did not teach through theories detached from the participants’ daily lives. Instead, she raised real cases faced by church members and the wider community in their everyday water consumption. She discussed three common water sources: well water, bottled water, and rainwater. All three are widely used by local residents and are often assumed to be equally safe. However, she explained that each source carries different risks that often go unnoticed.

Participants were then taught how to conduct basic water-quality assessments through simple steps. Previously, many families could only guess whether their water was safe for consumption. Following the training, they now have practical ways to examine it themselves.

The workshop formed part of YMH Papua’s Clean Water Training Programme, which introduces the First Flush System. Many residents have been hesitant to use rainwater collected from rooftops, and their concerns are understandable, since rooftop runoff can carry leaves, bird droppings, and dust.

The First Flush System addresses this issue through a simple mechanism. When rainfall begins, the first runoff that washes the roof is diverted through a separate channel because it contains the highest concentration of contaminants. Once this initial, dirty water has been discharged, cleaner rainwater is directed into the storage tank.

The system does not require machinery and has no moving parts, meaning that it requires very little maintenance. Its materials are also readily available in local markets, including pipes, gutters, and storage tanks. However, the tank base must be strong, as a 1,000-litre tank weighs approximately one tonne when full.

Nevertheless, the programme also faces challenges. The cost of constructing one complete system ranges from AU$800 to AU$1,600, depending on terrain conditions and the distance to the site. The more remote the village, the higher the cost of transporting materials. This is a considerable amount for rural households, making the programme difficult to implement without funding support and collective community involvement.

However, there is a more affordable entry point. Homes that already have water-storage facilities need only add pipes, fittings, and gutters at an estimated cost of around AU$25. For many congregations, this is the most practical and realistic first step.

What distinguishes this programme from many aid initiatives is its approach. YMH Papua does not simply arrive, build facilities, and leave. According to the foundation’s work programme document, the training is designed to transfer knowledge and skills in clean water management, with the expectation that these skills may also become a source of income for participants.

For this reason, every installation in the field involves local residents, ensuring that the knowledge remains in the village rather than leaving with the project team.

The clean water programme itself is one of the foundation’s longest-running initiatives. The partnership began in 2008, when Black Pearl Network Australia partnered with the GKI Synod in the Land of Papua to discuss a range of social issues affecting Papua.

In 2013, the clean water programme was formally launched in collaboration with Lembaga Air Kehidupan (LEMAK), a Papuan organisation focused on providing wells and sanitation for communities in need. For approximately ten years, LEMAK received funding, technical training, and financial management support, until it was eventually able to operate independently and seek funding from other sources.

A major transition took place in 2020, when the Mutiara Hitam Papua Foundation was established to ensure that programmes sponsored by Black Pearl Network Perth and the Uniting Church in Australia Synod of Western Australia could be managed directly from Papua. The foundation was formally registered as a legal entity on November 3, 2020, and is headquartered in Nabire.

Clean Water Training is one of the foundation’s seven programmes, alongside the Black Pearl English Course (BPEC), Teacher Training, Days for Girls, vocational training in tourism, a health programme focused on stunting prevention, and the Australia Papua Cultural Exchange Program (APCEP) in Perth, Australia.

All of these programmes are guided by one vision: preparing Papua’s younger generation to navigate the forces and challenges of globalisation.

The 22 participants who attended now return home with new knowledge and practical skills. They understand how to assess water quality and how to install systems that can turn rainwater into safe drinking water.

The most difficult part, however, remains: ensuring that this knowledge is actually put into practice on the rooftops of church members’ homes. Achieving that will require continued mentoring, support from the church districts, and cooperation from local communities.

Rain will continue to fall in Nabire for more than 200 days each year. The key question is whether that water will be collected properly—or allowed to pass by, as it has in previous years.