By MATTHEW VARI
Wednesday, September 11, 2013 (Midweek Chronicle, PNG)
Early last month I was invited by South Pacific (SP) Brewery, to cover the opening of a clean water project in Mesime village, at 14 Mile, outside of Port Moresby in the Central Province, which was funded by the brewery and the Rotary Club. The villagers and donors of the project where all happy about the completion, scale, and the time at which the project was achieved.
Among all the accolades and contributors that were mentioned, there were two young women that played a vital role in the completion of the project. Keran Tago and Philma Henry had both engineered the water system described as a “gravity fed system,” which uses the natural force of gravity to bring water down from a source higher up away from the village over five kilometers away.
Not much was said about them both, apart from their part in engineering the project by the various guests. I was interested in the fact that it isn’t everyday one comes across women water engineers paving the way for development of this precious natural resource.
One of the seven pillars of Vision 2050 encourages the empowerment of women in the country. Breaking barriers that have always kept women in the country grounded to the traditional assumptions of inferiority to man, which sadly is prevalent in the country today.
I had the opportunity to talk to Keran Tago, from Oro province who at 26, was put in charge of the project. I got her view of what it was like to be put in charge of such a project, how she got to where she is now, life growing up, and what plans she has for the future.
When I asked her about the project itself, she quickly pointed out how she underestimated the scale at which she was to be involved in the project.
“The Mesime project was a huge challenge for me because I didn’t know how massive the project would be; underestimating that I would be needed only in an advisory role, to design it for them and that was it.”
“I was nervous because up until then I had never taken on a full Gravity Fed System Project on my own, but then I thought to myself that I have always wanted to do something like the opportunity that was presented, and this was my time,” she said.
Keran started the feasibility study on March 22, after which sedimentation tanks were built up in the mountains where the water source was. The tanks separated any sediment from the water itself and the water is then is piped down to tanks that feed the water into five kilometers of pipes through to the village to the various collection points. It was completed within 74 days thanks to her friend and colleague Philma Henry and the commitment of the villagers who provided the labor and support necessary to achieve its completion.
How she came to be a water engineer all started in 2011, when she had just graduated from the Divine Word University, in Madang, with Bachelor in Environmental Health. Fresh out of college she came across an advert in one of the daily papers put out by the European Union’s Water and Sanitation Program, seeking a water engineer.
“I sent in my CV for the sake of trying it out, because I studied environmental health at uni, and part of it involved Rural Water Supply, which I did a practical on the gravity fed system during my time there.”
“The study exposed us to an existing gravity fed system at Rempi in Madang province, which encouraged me to take up the study as a profession.”
The job description was for a water engineer, and one of the requirements was to have a civil engineering degree. After getting selected for the position, she later found out that other applicants for the position were vastly experienced, most of whom had other projects to their list of achievements.
“Looking at my CV compared to theirs I honestly felt intimidated.”
“I had the privilege of working with this organization, which had projects around the country in partnership with other NGO groups and I told myself that I could make it.”
She attributed her selection to Stewart Jordan, who was an expatriate water engineer with the program, who she referred to as a feminist- a true believer of equality, seeing the potential she had he took her on board under his mentorship.
Her role was mainly centered in advisory, because the implementers were the NGO through the funding of the EU.
“I gained a lot experience in my capacity, overseeing many projects- seeing first hand the capacities of different NGOs- NGOs like OXFAM Care International to a small organization like the Christian Bible Church.”
“From one extreme to the other, when I went over to one of the big NGOs, they would already have the expertise of qualified engineers so I just had to observe and report on their progress.”
“Whereas, when it came to smaller NGOs like the Christian bible church they actually needed my help, to advice and design some components of their water projects,” she pointed out.
With the closing of the program after five years of delivering many impact projects in the country, she along with everyone that were with the program concluded their time with the EU. Working for a year she came across many challenges associated with the job, and also being a woman in the field in the country.
My big break came when the Rotary Club through their connections with the EU’s Water and Sanitation Program approached Stewart Jordan in regards to the Mesime water project; however, at the time he was leaving the country.
“He called me and offered the project to me, and so I said sure, asking me more than once if I was sure I would take it on.”
“I told him I would take it on mustering as much confidence I could in my voice,” she said laughing.
Her time with the Mesime project had brought out the best in her. With the influence and trust of her mentor, she was given the project and has never looked back since, by defying the odds to deliver the project with the help of her friend and colleague Philma, the village people and the donors.
Being the eldest in the family she took her role to be an example and shine for her younger siblings, especially her sisters. That nothing is impossible, even if you are a woman. She remembered her disappointment when not selected to go to the University of Technology, which at the time she thought crushed her dream to be an engineer.
“I actually was disappointed, and cried when I was selected to go to Divine Word, when I wanted to go Unitech and study engineering.”
“My dad told me to be content and just go ahead with the selection.”
“Both he and my mum have been inspiring to me growing up- though we had our problems, what family doesn’t have those.”
“Its how you get out of them that makes you stronger and wiser.”
Coming from parents who have both served the country with dedication she has always felt like she had to do the same. Her mother Agnes Tago, has clocked up over 23 years teaching countless children like me- and yes I said it right, she taught me also, and is still teaching to this day. Her father Jairus Tago served for 25 years in the national parliament, retiring from the parliamentary service as the Legislative Counsel Principle.
“Growing up for us was a constant move, which was something that wasn’t stable, but now when I look back it helped us to know a lot of people from one extreme to another.”
“I went to over five different primary schools, two provinces and now I am here today,” she grinned.
I asked her as a young woman what had inspired her to take up a profession that betters the lives of her fellow countrymen and women.
“I have always loved and admired my grandfather Stanley Tago, who is originally from the Yoma district (in Oro),when he was young there were a lot of difference in his village and he ended up fighting with his own relatives- so he left Yoma and came up the Kumusi River, came and settled in a village called Siai.”
She explained that when he settled there, he brought over his brothers and told them to live there- he left his brothers there and moved to a smaller village. He wanted to turn the village into his own private project of self sustenance. He didn’t go to school; he didn’t make it that far, but back then missionaries used to integrate with the people and taught them what they knew.
Her grandfather built his home- even made sure to give his children comforts he didn’t have, like using a toilet that was as comfortable as anyone’s at the time. Even carving out of wood many things like the cutlery they used back then. The ideas that he had then, he wanted to live by himself and be self sufficient, even sending all his children to school.
“These little things inspired me- granted we have this education that I have now; he was able to do these things, like when he made my father and his siblings’ bed- he carved their names out into the frame of the bed.”
“This has inspired me to go back and improve the lives of my people.”
“Wouldn’t you want certain luxuries to reach your home villages?”
“I became more inspired when I was studying this course, because of the practicality of it. I thought to myself that I could go and do this back at home- it has created a drive in me to actually do what I am doing now.
“It’s a great satisfaction when it is not about you but about the benefit of others- whether you’re a first born, a mother, or a sister, we women always care for others- you could say its second nature.”
This project has given me the confidence to start something on my own, and now I can see clearer. “Keran you can go out and do this, it is an achievable goal”.
A goal she has achieved that is life changing to every Mesime man, woman, and child- definitely a woman to look out for in the future and an inspiration that nothing is impossible no matter what gender you are you can make a difference.
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