In West Papua, poverty and climate change are colliding. Families are struggling to survive. You can help.
On the far north coast of West Papua, families are struggling with poverty, malnutrition, and the growing impacts of climate change.
As food sources become more unpredictable and incomes shrink, many are being forced to damage the forests and reefs they rely on, just to survive.
You can help change that.
At UnitingWorld, we believe ending poverty and protecting the environment must go hand in hand. That’s why we’re working alongside our local church partner, the Evangelical Christian Church in the Land of Papua (GKI-TP), supporting community-led solutions to restore ecosystems, strengthen livelihoods, and help families build a more secure future.
Please give.
“We want to create opportunities that help people earn a living and build long-term food security without threatening the future of their communities.” ~ Donaltus Rumbesu, Project Officer, GKI-TP.
You’re helping people and planet thrive, together.
By supporting UnitingWorld, you’re reaching some of the most disadvantaged communities in our region with practical, locally-driven solutions to poverty that also protect and restore the environment.
In places like West Papua, people are facing the harsh reality of rising seas, flooding, deforestation and hunger.
But they’re not facing it alone.
Meet some of the people being reached by your support, and our partners leading the way.
We hope you’ll get to know them, pray for them, and continue to walk alongside them as they build a more hopeful future.
In West Papua, climate change is undoing generations of knowledge about how to grow and gather food.
Mama Irene has lived with a mobility disability since contracting polio at age five. She is a long-time member of her local church’s women’s group and is known for her steady presence and wisdom.
But even elders like Mama Irene can no longer predict the weather as they once could. “It’s harder now to know when to plant or go fishing. The weather isn’t like before,” she says.
Changing rainfall patterns and flooding are washing away crops, eroding the shoreline and threatening the food her community depends on.
With your support, our partners are working alongside women like Mama Irene to protect food systems, share new knowledge and ensure the next generation can thrive.
Preparing the next generation to lead
Albert has worked in conservation for more than 20 years. But something didn’t sit right.
“I started asking myself: Can we grow an economy from protecting nature rather than destroying it?”
Now, as an elder in our partner church, Albert works to educate school children and youth about the forests, rivers and reefs that surround them.
“Papuans call the forest ‘mama’, the coast ‘child’, and the sea ‘father’. These are sacred relationships. But without good leadership, we are losing them.”
Albert believes the next generation can lead better, but only if they understand what is at stake.
With your support, our partners are training young climate champions and creating opportunities for communities to learn, lead and protect the land they call home.
In West Papua, women like Emily carry enormous burdens — and their children’s lives are at stake.
Known affectionately as ‘The Boxer,’ Emily trains in her backyard gym, fighting for her son Fion’s future in a region where malnutrition claims young lives and the nearest hospital is an expensive six-hour journey away.
Rising seas and floods threaten crops, violence against women is common and, with few ways to earn a sustainable income, women like Emily have little time or opportunity to change their circumstances.
But Emily hasn’t given up hope. She dreams of
competing in faraway cities and building a better life for her son.
With your support, our partners are helping women like Emily grow climate-resilient food, access small business opportunities and protect their families from hunger, so they don’t have to fight alone.
In West Papua, poverty forces people to harm the environment they depend on, but there’s another way.
Truth be told, Donaltus wanted to be a pilot flying between communities rather than an aid worker.
His impaired vision put that dream on hold, but he still became a missionary, travelling between villages to serve others, now as a project leader for our partner church, GKI-TP.
“The quickest way for people to earn money is cutting down the trees or selling their land. We want to help people make a living and build food security without losing everything they depend on.”
The stakes are high: once the forest is gone, the land can’t regulate water, protect against flooding, or provide food. Once the coral and mangroves are gone, fish stocks collapse.
With your support, Donaltus is helping families plant climate-resilient gardens, develop sustainable fishing and farming, and train youth and women as conservation champions.
When communities protect creation, creation protects them.
In West Papua, the health of the land and the wellbeing of the people are deeply connected.
When forests are cleared, floods destroy gardens. When reefs and coastlines are damaged, fish disappear.
But when communities care for creation, it provides in return: food, shelter, income and resilience.
With your support, local leaders are applying traditional knowledge, restoring ecosystems and building sustainable future. Women are leading.
Young people are learning.
Families are growing food and finding new ways to thrive, without destroying the land they depend on.
Thank you for being part of it.
Together, we’re helping people and planet flourish side by side.
Your support will help:
- establish productive food gardens for families to combat malnutrition
- develop sustainable agriculture and fishing through community market initiatives
- offer training, resources and tools to enable people to start small businesses
- promote education in health, hygiene, nutrition and climate-resilient practice
- kickstart advocacy initiatives across the province to promote action on climate change, adaptive agriculture and reforesting to reduce landslide risks
- train conservation champions in every village, with a focus on empowering youth and women’s leadership.
Call 1800 998 122
(Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm AEST)
Send a cheque or money order to:
UnitingWorld
PO Box A2266
Sydney NSW 1235
Direct deposit / bank transfer
(click for details)
For direct banking, please arrange to deposit your donation into the following UnitingWorld Account:
Bank: Westpac – King St, Sydney NSW
Account Name: UnitingWorld Donations
Account Number: 182657
BSB: 032-014
Reference: "West Papua"
IMPORTANT: On completion of your deposit, please forward an email to: info@unitingworld.org.au with the following details: the amount you deposited, to where you wish the funds be directed (In this case: "EOFY Appeal 2025", to whom the receipt is to be made out to and the relevant contact details (address and phone number).
Thank you!
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UnitingWorld is the international aid and partnerships agency of the Uniting Church in Australia.
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Accreditation
UnitingWorld is also a member of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID), which holds us accountable to the highest standards of governance, financial transparency and effectiveness in our work.
