The Saa, Mian, and Koblaku (SMK) volunteer network has successfully raised K70,000 through a dedicated mobilization campaign to purchase and distribute emergency food rations for communities severely impacted by the ongoing nationwide El Niño drought in the Gumine District of Chimbu Province.
Gumine District, home to a population of 55,000 (2024 Census), is facing acute water shortages and agricultural failure. Local streams and organic coffee crops have completely dried up, leaving communities in the Gumine LLG—including the Sasmalin, Era, Dirima, Mian, Sakaleku, and Koblaku tribes—reliant on major rivers that are rapidly receding. The extreme distance from the provincial capital of Kundiawa has further exacerbated the crisis, making processed goods financially and logistically difficult for rural families to procure.
In response, professionals from the Saa, Mian, and Koblaku tribes working across Papua New Guinea and abroad established a volunteer network via the SMK WhatsApp group to fundraise directly for family-level relief.
The grassroots mobilization has been highly structured to ensure immediate accountability and rapid delivery:
• Mian Tribe: Having met their initial targets early, fundraising concluded on Friday, 6 November. Emergency food distribution is scheduled to take place from Monday, 16 November to Friday, 20 November 2026.
• Koblaku Tribe: The deadline for all financial contributions is Sunday, 15 November, with food distribution running concurrently from 16 November to 20 November 2026.
• Sakaleku Tribe: Fundraising efforts and subsequent food distribution operations will wrap up fully by Monday, 30 November 2026.
A separate, broader batch of fundraising will continue until the end of November, with additional food rations procured in early December to ensure comprehensive coverage across every family home. Local ward councillors and villagers have praised the transparency of the initiative, with many contributing their own limited resources to bolster the fund.
Group spokespersons John Kama, Jenny Array, Joseph Gore, John Kora, and Paul Gore emphasized that the SMK network operates strictly as an independent, volunteer humanitarian collective. The group maintains no affiliation with any political candidates, government agencies, NGOs, or religious organizations. Intending candidates from the SMK region who contributed did so entirely apolitically, with no attached political obligations.
"Our immediate intention is a pure gesture of human generosity to ensure the survival of our people as this severe El Niño pattern threatens to persist into 2027," stated Mr. Kama. "We are praying for a break in the weather so our subsistence agriculture can recover, but until then, we must look after our own."
The relief operation also serves as the foundation for a broader regional unity program, which will culminate in a community forum hosted in Mul Village on 27 December 2026. Beyond immediate disaster response, the SMK group has established a long-term mission to unite local tribes for shared developmental success, focusing on;
- Infrastructure Advocacy, securing adequate road connectivity and structural services for remote wards.
- Human Resource Development: Investing directly in the education, health, and socio-economic well-being of Gumine youth.
- Governance and Security: Promoting law and order alongside good governance practices at the community level.
The SMK administrative team expressed its profound gratitude to the diaspora and local leaders who have dug deep despite nationwide economic pressures, high inflation, and a rising cost of living to support their families unconditionally.