WaterAid Papua New Guinea

12/10/2026

Reflecting, Learning, and Growing Together

Friday 9th Oct-2026: WaterAid Papua New Guinea staff from our Port Moresby, Kokopo/Pomio, and Wewak offices came together virtually for the PNG Country Strategy Quarter 2 Learning Reflection.

The reflection provided an important opportunity for teams to pause, assess progress, and learn from our collective experiences over the past quarter, with discussions on:
✭ In our working context with stakeholders and partners, and evolving public perceptions of our work;
✭ Progress towards achieving planned deliverables and strategic objectives;
✭ Areas to adapt, improve, or strengthen our approaches;
✭ Building a stronger team culture and reviewing policies that support a positive and effective workplace;
✭ Budget and operational updates, including expenditure reviews and programme implementation status.

The sessions encouraged open and honest conversations, enabling staff from across the country to share challenges, successes, and practical lessons from their respective regions. By bringing together diverse perspectives, we continue to strengthen collaboration and ensure our programmes remain responsive, effective, and impactful.

Learnings, recommendations, and ideas from the reflection will be compiled and presented back to the team for planning, decision-making and implementation into the next Quarter.

As we move into Quarter 3, we remain optimistic and motivated by the dedication of our staff, partners, and supporters. With a new team put together in Kokopo and Pomio (East New Britain Province) WAPNG is excited for the challenge to continue learning, adapting, and working towards delivering safe water, improved toilets, and good hygiene.

05/10/2026

📢 VACANCY: WASH TECHNICAL OFFICER (Wewak)

WaterAid Papua New Guinea is seeking a qualified and motivated WaSH Technical Officer to join our team in Wewak, East Sepik Province.

This position will support the delivery of inclusive and climate-resilient water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure projects, with a focus on improving access to safe and reliable water services for communities and health care facilities across East Sepik Province.

📄 Employment Type: Permanent, one-year contract (with possible extension)
👤 Reports to: WaSH Advisor

Key Responsibilities:
✅ Support implementation of WASH infrastructure projects
✅ Supervise contractors and construction activities
✅ Conduct technical assessments, monitoring and reporting
✅ Support water quality testing and infrastructure design
✅ Ensure projects are inclusive, sustainable and climate resilient
✅ Collaborate with government, partners, communities and stakeholders
✅ Contribute to monitoring, evaluation, learning and reporting activities

Essential Requirements:
✔ Bachelor's degree in Building, Architecture, Engineering or a related technical field (advantageous)
✔ Minimum 5 years' experience in small to medium-scale infrastructure projects
✔ Experience in planning, designing and supervising water supply and sanitation projects
✔ Knowledge and experience using AutoCAD (2D and 3D)
✔ Strong stakeholder engagement and relationship-building skills
✔ Experience working with sanitation and hygiene approaches such as CLTS, Healthy Islands, or PHAST
✔ Commitment to child safeguarding, gender equality, inclusion and safeguarding standards

To Apply, submit:
📄 An application letter addressing the essential selection criteria (maximum 2 pages)
📄 A CV (maximum 4 pages) including three professional referees
📧 Email: [email protected]
📌 Subject line: Application – WASH Technical Officer

⏰ Closing Date: 14 October 2026

This position is open to Papua New Guinean candidates only. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

02/10/2026

Welcoming Three Interns from Caritas Business College 🤝

Port Moresby, 02/10/2026 - WaterAid PNG is pleased to welcome three students from Caritas Business College who have joined us this week for a 6-week on-the-job training (OJT) program.

Alice Sodi, Amelia Gion, and Miriam Rumet are studying for their Diploma in Office Administration. During their placement, they will support our operations team and programs team with administrative matters and other support tasks.

As part of their onboarding, the interns took part in a series of induction sessions. WAPNG Systems Strengthening Manager and Safeguarding Focal Point, Simon Wanga, led a Safeguarding induction introducing them to our commitment to protect people from harm and the standards of behaviour expected of everyone who works with or represents WaterAid. They also received briefings on communications and media, safety and security, and general information regarding WaterAid and our work.

We look forward to having Alice, Amelia, and Miriam with us over the coming weeks, wishing them all the best, and hope they will gain valuable workplace experience. May they take on the values that guide our work at WaterAid – Respect, Accountability, Courage, Collaboration, Innovation, & Integrity.

01/10/2026

Pari leaders support new sanitation project 🚽

Tue 29-Sep-26: The WaterAid PNG team met with Pari community leaders at the Pari-Taurama Ward Council office to introduce a new sanitation project made possible by funding from the Swedish Postcode Lottery Svenska Postkodlotteriets Stiftelse.

The project will deliver 20 innovative dry toilets to Pari village, with the aim to reduce open defecation and unsafe toilets on land and over the sea, and to instill lasting changes in hygiene habits across the community.

The toilets are manufactured by Sago Network and use a dry, waterless processing system. This means they don't rely on a water supply to work.

The leaders welcomed the toilet design with excitement and expressed their willingness to roll it out in the village.

There is still work ahead. After preliminary matters are finalized, community awareness will be the next step to ensure families understand how the toilets work and why safe sanitation matters. Lasting change depends on community buy-in, and the leaders' support provides a strong foundation to progress. Agreements will be formalized on paper to ensure transparency and accountability for everyone.

We are optimistic as plans continue, and we look forward to working alongside the people of Pari to build a healthier, safer community.

Thank you to the Pari leaders for their openness and commitment, the Motu Koita Assembly and National Capital District Commission, and the Swedish Postcode Lottery for making this project possible.

19/09/2026

📚🎉 Farewell and Best Wishes to Our University of Goroka Interns 🎉📚

Port Moresby, Friday 18-Sep '26: WaterAid PNG hosted a farewell lunch to acknowledge and celebrate three Business Studies students from the University of Goroka who have successfully completed their six-week internship attachment with us.

Sincere appreciation to Willie Hulijeli, Uniso Abel, and Odila Gem for their commitment, enthusiasm, and valuable contributions during their placement within WAPNG’s operations team. Throughout their internship, they supported various administrative functions, gaining practical experience in taxation, HR matters, and procurement, while developing skills that will serve them well in their future careers.

Over the past six weeks, Willie, Uniso, and Odila have demonstrated professionalism, a willingness to learn, and a positive attitude in the workplace. It has been a pleasure to have them as part of the team, and we are humbled to have played a role in their professional development journey.

As they return to their studies, we wish them every success in completing their academic programs and in pursuing their future career aspirations. We also wish them continued growth and fulfilment in their personal lives, and we look forward to seeing the positive impact they will make in their communities and beyond.

At WaterAid PNG, we believe in investing in young people and creating opportunities for learning and growth. Through our values of Respect, Accountability, Courage, Collaboration, Integrity, and Innovation, we are committed to helping shape the future leaders and service deliverers of our nation.

17/09/2026

🇵🇬 Reflecting on Independence: Servant Leadership, Integrity, and Our National Goals 🇵🇬

As Papua New Guinea marked its 51st Independence Anniversary this September, the WaterAid PNG team paused for a staff reflection day to look inward and then outward at the work still ahead.

The Port Moresby team had guest speaker Mr. Dunstan Lawihin, UPNG Social Work Lecturer and current Monash University PhD student, challenging staff with a powerful reminder: servant leadership and integrity are key to development and service delivery. He urged every citizen to memorise and be guided by PNG's Five National Goals and Principles as a daily compass for how we live, lead, and serve.

WaterAid PNG Country Director Annemarie Paul echoed this message, speaking on selflessness and honesty — reminding staff that true service comes from the heart and with purpose. Accountability and transparency, she noted, must not stop at the office door; they must follow us home, shaping who we are as individuals, colleagues, and citizens.

These values sit at the very core of what WaterAid PNG stands for. Through our programs and services for inclusive climate-resilient water, sanitation, and hygiene, we believe we have a unique opportunity to unite the country — reaching communities across provinces, cultures, and languages with one shared goal: a healthier, more dignified life for all Papua New Guineans.

Similar staff reflections were also held by our teams in Wewak and East New Britain, as everyone took time to celebrate our nation and recommit to the values that guide our work.

Happy Independence Day, Papua New Guinea 🙏
May God lead and guide us through the next 50 years. 🇵🇬💧

08/09/2026

...Youth numbers shaping Papua New Guinea's future...
Port Moresby: WaterAid PNG was honoured to participate in the inaugural World Population Day commemoration at APEC Haus, hosted by the National Statistical Office (NSO) and United Nations Population Fund Papua New Guinea (UNFPA) on Wednesday 12 August 2026.

PNG’s localized theme: “Choices, Lives and Futures: What shapes young adults’ decisions about relationships, parenthood and the future”.

Current UNFPA stat: PNG's population is approx. 10.1m people (2024), with 60% under the age of 25.
This ‘youth bulge’ requires immediate, evidence-based action in all sectors, including the WaSH space.
Clean water, proper sanitation and better hygiene impacts the health and safety of PNG's youths, instills dignity and self-worth, and ensures they can pursue education and economic opportunities.

A healthy population is a vibrant nation. 🇵🇬🇵🇬🇵🇬

Much appreciation to NSO senior statistician and event coordinator, Morris Popona, for extending the invite to WAPNG, even allowing us to set up a modest booth at the APEC Haus. It was an opportune moment to familiarise with NSO and UNFPA staff and provide key WaSH messaging to various other State entities such as National Youth Development Authority (NYDA), PNG Department of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (DHERST), and youth volunteer group YPEER PNG - Papua New Guinea.
Special thanks to the very experienced Rosemary Yambune, who we engaged to man the booth and did an excellent job attending to visitors’ queries 🙏

All in all, well done Mr Popona and your team for a successful event and we can expect next year’s event to build on strongly from this! 👏

03/09/2026

__NCDPHA completes IPC-WASH socialization for 13 health facilities__
Port Moresby: The National Capital District Provincial Health Authority (NCDPHA), with support from WaterAid PNG, has successfully completed the 6-week socialization of the National Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Guidelines 2025 and WASH standards across all its affiliated healthcare facilities.

The final leg of the rollout ended at Gerehu General Hospital, where training ran for 3 days given the hospital's size and staffing. Combined with Gordons, Badili, Kaugere, Vabukori and Pari, this brings the total to 13 healthcare facilities reached, building on the earlier work at Metoreia (Hanuabada), St Theresa (Hohola), 6 Mile, Tokarara, 9 Mile, Lawes Road (Konedobu), and Morata.

Across all facilities, 442 healthcare champions from every level of staff — doctors, Health Extension Officers, nursing officers, Community Health Workers, lab scientists, and ancillary teams including admin, hygiene, grounds, drivers and security — were trained across four modules: IPC Guidelines 2025, WASH in Healthcare Facilities, Decontamination & Disinfection, and Waste Management. Facilitation was led by NCDPHA's IPC specialists and clinicians, supported by the WaterAid team.

This milestone strengthens standard precautions, waste management, and WASH standards across Port Moresby's health system. Challenges identified at each facility have been logged for follow-up with stakeholders. WaterAid's support has been made possible through funding from the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP) through the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade(DFAT).

Improving IPC and WASH greatly contributes to better health in NCD.

03/09/2026

...PARI LEADERS ATTEND CONSULTATIVE WORKSHOP...
Port Moresby: WaterAid PNG kicked off community engagement for the Sea of Opportunities Dream Project with a pre-inception consultation with Pari Village leaders on 13 August 2026.

25 people actively took part, including 17 Pari Community Leaders (7 women, 8 men, 2 living with disability) and 8 WaterAid staff. The session gathered insight into the community's history, culture, and priorities to help shape a sanitation solution designed for stilted, flood-prone households — and to support Pari's journey toward becoming a model Motu Koita village under the Healthy Islands concept.

Much appreciation to the Pari village leaders for your openness and input to the planning process as we move to the next step which will be community engagement and awareness. WaterAid acknowledges the continuous support of every leader, including the Chairman of the Council of Chiefs, the two Ward Members (Motu Koita Assembly reps), village women leaders in law, education and health, and the male and female Pari Disability Association reps.

The Healthy Island concept will be tweaked towards a peri-urban setting, and will be rolled out in close consultation with MKA, National Capital District Provincial Health Authority, and Papua New Guinea National Department of Health.

The Pari sanitation project has been made possible with the timely support and funding of the Swedish Post Code Lottery (Svenska Postkodlotteriets Stiftelse). The project also comprises a climate-resilient water supply component, co-funded by the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP).

We look forward to the activities, challenges, and successes ahead as we strive to achieve the dream of a "Healthy community; Healthy Pari".

18/08/2026

Timely reminder

🌿 El Niño Preparedness Menstrual Health & Hygiene Management

✅ Menstrual Products
Prepare an adequate supply before water shortages or any access disruptions.
✅ Disposable/Reusable sanitary pads
✅ Toilet rolls
✅ Underwears
✅ Small waterproof/dignity bags for carrying used products
✅ Safe disposal bags for disposable products
✅ Emergency menstrual hygiene kits
✅ Extra supplies for girls and women with limited household resources

📌Recommendation
Households should maintain an emergency menstrual supply that covers at least 1–2 menstrual cycles, with additional stock for women who may be displaced.