Church Partnership Program

The Church Partnership Program began in 2004, focused on 5 thematic areas: Education, Health, Gender Based Violence/ Sorcery Accusation-Related Violence, Peace Building, and Community Resilience. Under these 4 thematic areas, the following projects were implemented i.e. literacy, economic development, water and sanitation, and HIV/AIDS activities in Morobe Province and other parts of Papua New Guinea through the Seventh-day Adventist Church. For the 20 years, the program has gone through 3 phases; with CPP Phase 4 Part 1 commencing January 2023 and will conclude December 2025 under the Building Community Engagement Program (BCEP), an initiative of the Australian Government’s Good Governance Program.  

The CPP Goal is: Improved capacity of ADRA and the SDA Church to improve the well-being of communities, including the most vulnerable.’ To achieve this goal, three End of Project Outcomes (EOPO) and four pillars were set. 

Goal: Deliver an effective and sustainable adult literacy program guided by national policies and in partnership with key stakeholders.

Goals: An effective and sustainable integrated adult literacy program is delivered guided by the relevant adult literacy policy in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, including PNGUM.  

Key Focus Areas:

• Develop and implement an inclusive Alternate Basic Education (ABE) Policy with a long-term plan.

• Resource and roll out an ABE curriculum.

• Advocate for government recognition and funding of adult literacy schools.

• Strengthen partnerships with government, church, and community stakeholders.

• Build capacity of trainers and volunteers to deliver quality literacy programs.

Our Approach:
We work with the SDA Church, government departments, and local missions to ensure adult literacy is supported, recognized, and sustained. Our efforts include policy development, curriculum improvement, advocacy for funding, and training programs that promote inclusivity and gender equality.

Gender, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) promotes equal access to opportunities, resources, and decision-making for all, regardless of gender, ability, or social status. In Papua New Guinea, this vision is hindered by the underrepresentation of women in leadership, harmful cultural norms, limited access to health and education, and having some of the world’s highest rates of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Sorcery Accusation Related Violence (SARV), which disproportionately affect women and girls. ADRA PNG, through the CPP GEDSI Component, works with church leaders, church members, and local communities to improve understanding, support, and act for GEDSI initiatives, including GBV/SARV, both by ADRA and the SDA Church.

Goal
Promote equal access, participation, and safety for all people, regardless of gender, ability, or social status.

GEDSI Component Goal 

To strengthen the capacity of SDA Church leaders, Church Members and local communities to: 

• Promote gender equality, disability inclusion, and social inclusion 

• Challenge harmful social norms 

•  Address GBV and SARV 

•  Foster inclusive decision-making in church and community structures 

Key Focus Areas

• Challenge harmful cultural and social norms.

• Address Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Sorcery Accusation Related Violence (SARV).

• Promote inclusive decision-making in churches and communities.

• Build capacity of leaders and communities to support GEDSI initiatives.

Our Approach
We work with SDA church leaders, members, and local partners to raise awareness, provide training, and strengthen support systems for vulnerable groups. GEDSI activities include community sensitization workshops, advocacy campaigns, and partnerships with local agencies to improve protection, inclusion, and well-being.

Campaigns & Advocacy

1.  International (National)Women’s Day-8th & 24th March 

2. 20 (or 16) Days of Human Rights Activism-20th November to 10th December 

3. End It Now Campaign, the SDA Churches’ global initiative to end GBV and abuse of vulnerable people –Fourth Sabbath of August 

4. Mental Health Months-June/October 

5.  Breast Cancer Awareness Month- 29th October 

6. Thursdays in Black-Every Thursdays 

Networking & Partnerships 

The program collaborates with key local partners to strengthen impact: 

•  Morobe Disabled Agency  

• Femili PNG 

•  Family Support Centre 

• Morobe Provincial GBV Secretariat; and 

• The four (4) Local Missions 

Social Accountability is the process through which both citizens and civil society organizations and public officials hold each other accountable in ensuring quality and sustainable service are being delivered.  This is a BECEP initiative aiming to see how churches can rise to the challenge of bringing both citizens and government to ensure quality services are being delivered. For churches, SA comes under STEWARDSHIP.  

Given ADRA/SDA's strength in delivering adult literacy, Menyamya District was chosen as the pilot area, following a report from the National Department of Education through the National Literacy Awareness Secretariat.  The report identified Menyamya as one of four districts in Papua New Guinea with the lowest literacy rate of 26.1%. Thus, ADRA CPP is working with local government, churches, stakeholders, and citizens to improve literacy in Menyamya.  The project this far has conducted,

• Conducted a foundation training for the ADRA staff and the CPP team. 

• Selected three key tools: Information Campaign, Scorecard, and Citizen Report Card. 

• Delivered Information Campaigns in two Local Level Governments (Kome and Wapi). 

• Currently preparing for a Social Accountability Baseline Survey in both LLGs. 

• Delivered Core card in Tanam SDA Primary school. 

This journey is about empowering communities and building stronger partnerships for better literacy outcomes.

Goal: Reduce Lifestyle diseases with the increase in preventative health programs  

Objective: 

•  Work with the PNGUM Health Department to improve its systems and processes  

• Support the PNGUM Health Department pilot 10,000 toes health program in selected local missions 

• Establish an MOA with 2 Provincial Health Authorities through the selected local missions. 

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for more than 70% of all deaths in the Pacific Region. According to the NCD STEPS Survey of 2008, 99.6% of the population in PNG is at moderate to high risk from NCD, with 77.7% of people classified as being at high risk. An objective of the PNG National Health Plan 2021-2030 is to reduce morbidity and mortality of non-communicable diseases, including increasing the population’s awareness of emerging lifestyle-related diseases to make informed decisions about their health, and strengthening screening, prevention, and treatment of lifestyle diseases, including oral health services. Engagement between ADRA PNG, the Church, and Provincial Health Authorities on NCDs began in CPP3.