People
Bro. Jim
Brother James Coucher CP OBE, started the Senta.
After 43 years in PNG, Bro. James has retired from active missionary work and is now in the Monastry at Glen Osmond, Adelaide, South Australia.
Brother Ben
I come from Nigil parish of Nuku district in Aitape Diocese Sandaun Province.
I heard about the Passionists when I was doing my year 8 at St Ignatius High School Aitape. The school was run by the Patrician Brothers of Australia. I met 2 passionists at that time, John Curtis cp and Bro Damien Byrne cp. Both came to the school to conduct a retreat. I was lucky to be on that retreat and after listening to them, I felt something stirring deep within me. Soon after, I left school and started writing to the Passionist Vocation director in Vanimo. At that time it was Fr Patrick McIndoe cp, a New Zealander Passionist. My contact with him went on for 2 years, and I joined the Passionists on 13th March 1987, but only for 9 months.
I then went home for a year, not giving up and still in contact. Finally, Brother Jerome cp came and visited me and told me I was accepted to come back and continue my training as a Passionist brother. In 1989 I came back a second time and have stayed with the Passionists since then. This coming December 29th 2006 will be my 19th year with the Passionists
Karen Borschman
Karen worked at the Senta for a year as a physiotherapist. Her role was to assess the children's needs and to train the volunteers.
Karen came under the Australian Youth Ambassador Scheme funded by Ausaid.
Karen fitted in very well and enjoyed the work, the living conditions and the lifestyle.
Karen is now the Editor of the Senta Bilong Helpim Magazine.
Anna Powai
Anna is twenty four years old and comes from Manus Island. Her Father has been working in the Sandaun Province for many years as Provincial Health Inspector.
Anna is the second born of a family of eight children. She has two sisters and five brothers.
She is a single Mum and cares for her disabled child Melvin. As Anna attends the Senta everyday with Melvin, Anna has offered to work as a volunteer helping the other children as well as her own child. Anna has been at the Senta for nearly four years.
Elijah Acobi
We are indeed very fortunate to have Acobi at the Senta as he is a real asset. He is totally reliable, loved by both the children and other volunteers, dedicated; willing to tackle anything asked of him and is very talented.High praise for a boy that was sent home from school because he was “longlong” or in other words mentally deficient.
Acobi is profoundly deaf. He contracted cerebral malaria as a small school boy and is very lucky to have survived the disease but lost his hearing because of it. He missed over a year of schooling because of the sickness and then when he returned was turned away because he was longlong. Acobi was devastated as he was a very bright boy and loved school. His parents took him to the headmaster to plead his case but to no avail. When the Senta started, he was one of the first to come and has never missed a day since starting. For several years he came and studied maths and English and also learnt to draw and paint. Harry was his art tutor.
Even during those early days he was always there to offer assistance to the other children with various kinds of disabilities and when the day came for him to finish at the Senta as a student, he remained as a volunteer. During his time as a volunteer, as mentioned earlier, he has taken on everything asked of him. He ran the trade store when we first started. He did the pricing, the ordering and the banking. We then got into poultry and the ever reliable Acobi looked after that project. Then it was the pigs. Once he was shown how he did everything from injecting the new born pigs to the slaughtering.
With all he had to do it meant that he was at the Senta 7 days a week but he did not mind, in fact he loved it
as the Senta is his life and he is just so grateful that he had been given a chance in life, the chance he was
denied as a student at school.
He has earned a lot of respect from the village people because of his dedication to his work and the fact that he
has overcome a disability for which he had been written off.
He caused further amazement to the people and also to the police when he fronted up for his driving test.
It was some months before the police gave in and took him for his test which he passed with flying colours.
We are proud of Acobi at the Senta and he gives great encouragement to the other children who are there.
More photos of Acobi.
Audrey Neopa
Audrey comes from Waromo village, which is divided, into several parts. The part Audrey comes from is called Malibu.Audrey is twenty eight years old and was born on the 4th March 1975. She is the last of four children and was born after her father, who was a police officer, died.
After finishing primary school, Audrey stayed home to help her mother care for the family. One of her sisters died at an early age and then another, Jenny, got cerebral malaria while at teachers college. She suffered severe brain damage as a result and attended the Senta for three years before she too eventually died.
After the death of Jenny, Audrey devoted her life to helping the disabled and started work at the Senta as a volunteer on the 1st March 2001.
She loves her work and cares for two of the clients at the Senta, Martina and Willy Duni. She brings much joy and love to their lives.
Kathlyn Wao
Kathlyn is also from Waromo and lives with her parents, three sisters and three brothers. She is fourth in line and was born on 28th February 1982.
Kathlyn started work as a volunteer at the Senta in February 1999 and loves all aspects of the work especially the physiotherapy side. She says that the work is very rewarding and gives her great joy and peace of mind.
Ursula
Mi Ursula bilong Waromo village, long peles mi save helpim mama bilong mi long wok garden, wasim saksak.
Mi wok olsem wanpela voluntia blong ol disabled pikinini long yia 1999 i kam inap nau so klostu 3 yia nau.
Insait long disabled senta yet, mi wok wantaim ol deaf pikinini skulim o lainim ol long sign, na helpim ol physio tu.
April 24th 2001 mi bin go wantaim Martha (em i deaf). Mipela go long 6 week sign language course long Port Moresby.
Long dispela skul mipela lainim ol sign wantaim ol elementry class, na pilai sports wantaim ol. Mi hamamas tru taim
mi skul or kisim dispela course wantaim ol deaf pikinini.
My name is Ursula and I am from Waromo Village. At my place, I usually help my mother in the garden, washing sago.
I also work as a volunteer with the disabled children. I came in 1999, so now it is close to three years here.
At the centre, my work consists of helping the deaf children learn sign language and I also help with the physio.
On April 24, 2001, I went with Martha (a deaf volunteer) to a six week sign language course in Port Moresby.
At the school, we learnt sign language with a class of elementary children and played sports with them.
I am very happy that I went to the course and can teach the deaf children at the Senta.
Delphine Pani (Della) and Genevieve Pengo
Both girls are from Waromo Village and both are 20 years old and single. Della has been working at the Senta as a volunteer for 3 years and Genevieve, one and a half years.
Della works on the physiotherapy side. She has had no formal training in physiotherapy but has gained her skills at the Senta working under physiotherapists who have come from Australia to help out. Her work entails stretching and exercising the children and supervising their hydrotherapy. In the afternoons she assists in classes such as Maths, English, art etc. Della says " I love working with the children as it is so rewarding to see their happiness and joy when we care for them".
Genevieve works full time in the class room. She came to the Senta out of curiosity as she could not imagine how deaf children communicated. She was fascinated and decided that she wanted to help in any way she could to improve their quality of life. Genevieve has learnt signing from the other volunteers and now teaches the children. She says "In teaching the children, I have learnt so much myself and I am just so happy working with the children with disabilities along side of the other volunteers".
In the photo Della is on the left with the red top and Genevieve on the right with the striped top.
Roselyn Augustine
My name is Roselyn, I come from Waromo and am 30 years old. I have been married for 5 years but unfortunately we do not have any children as yet but we live in hope.
It is because of my love for children that I decided to come and work at the Senta 2 years ago and I am just so happy here that I want to be able to work here as long as I possibley can.
My husband's name is Simon and he works for Vanimo Forest company as a tally clerk and he is very supportive of me working at the Senta and we both pray for the day when we can start our own family.
I work in the classroom with the smaller deaf children. That is all from me. May God Bless all our helpers and supporters.
Fabian Wuniki
Fabian is from Waromo Village, the place where, as Fabian says “Your heart settles” Fabian was born on the 23rd July 1978 and started school at the age of ten. He finished school at the completion of grade 6, in those days only a third of each grade 6 was selected to go onto grade 7.
Like all those that were not selected to continue with their schooling, Fabian was considered a drop out and had little or no chance of making anything of his life. “Drop out’ was a very unfair tag to be labeled with as the kids were considered as failures. Fabian, and as so many of those children are, is a very bright young man and has many talents, especially in music and art, which we at the Senta are now benefiting from.
Fabian joined the Senta as a volunteer in 2000 and has developed his talents as well as learning new skills and he is now a very valued member of our team.
Willy is seven years old and comes from Waromo village but lives in Lido where his mother is head mistress.
Willy's dad is a mechanic and Willy has six sisters and one brother.
Willy is profoundly deaf but he really is the life of the Senta. He is bubbly, enthusiastic and full of fun but at the same time is a very good and conscientious student. He loves to play on the computer.
Melvin is the only child of Anna and lives with her mum and her grand parents.
Melvin was born on the 8th March 1999 with severe spinal and leg deformities. She has been attending the Senta
since she was a baby and has had corrective surgery on 2 occasions on her legs. She can now walk unaided but
unfortunately there is nothing that can be done to improve her spinal condition.
Even at the tender age of four, she attends regular class each day following her physiotherapy session.
Melvin is a real darling and the favorite of all who attend the Senta. She is a very talkative but extremely
well mannered child and is a credit to her mother's loving care.
Olivia is thirteen years old and is profoundly deaf. She has been attending the Senta for nine years. Olivia
has learnt sign language (Auslan) which has really changed her life. She is now an outgoing child and enjoys
communicating with all those around her who can sign.
Any spare time she gets at the Senta is spent on the computer. She enjoys all aspects of the Senta be it exercise, class room, games or swimming. Whatever it is she enjoys doing.
Olivia has three brothers but no sisters. She is the last born and has been deaf from birth. Her father works as a security guard at the bank and her mother is a house wife.
Appolonia or "Little Apple"
Marion Seau
I am Marion and I live in Wusipi Settlement. I live there so as I can go to the Senta and my village is too far away. I have been going to the Senta since I was a baby. Something is wrong with my back and my legs don't work and so I can't walk. Doctors tried very hard to help me walk and I had many operations, some of the in Melbourne at Monash Hospital. I stayed with my father at Irene's place. She is Bro. Jim's sister.
I have got 2 brothers and 2 sisters and they can all walk and it is sad for me because I don't walk with them but stay in the house.
The Senta is a lot of fun and all us disabled children play games together.
Bye-bye, Marion
Jill Laina
Jill is 11 years old and comes from Lido Village. She is the second born of 6 children, 1 boy and 5 girls.
Her mother works in the office at the Vanimo hospital and her father works at home taking care of the children, fishing and gardening. Jill, like Acobi, was struck down with cerebral malaria in her first year at school and is profoundly deaf as a result.
Jill is a bright girl and wanted to continue at school but found it very difficult and so when she heard about the Senta, she asked her parents if she could enroll. She has never looked back and is making great progress in her schooling and really does enjoy the company of her deaf schoolmates.
Jill is a very independent girl and likes to work things out for herself. This is very evident when she is working on the computer, she does not want anyone’s help until she asks for it and that is only after she has tried her best to work things out.
Jill is a real leader among her peers and she has a wonderful sense of humour, consequently there is always a lot of laughter in her group.