The Seventh-day Adventist Church has received more than K700,000 from the Papua New Guinea Government for infrastructure development.
On August 4, Kumul Minerals Holding Limited board director Dr Kaul Gena presented two cheques to Kenton Ghona, CFO for the Church in PNG, for projects at the Togoba Adventist Primary School and the University of Technology Adventist Residential College.
Dr Gena presented a cheque for K27,684.72 to the University of Technology Adventist Residential College for the development of facilities and a cheque for K692,834.50 to the Togoba Adventist Primary School for the school’s fencing project.
The funding will be made through the PNG Union Mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Dr Gena said the state-owned company was obliged to fund the projects under the government-approved community and social obligation charter.
“Kumul Minerals Holding Limited recognises that the Seventh-day Adventist Church has served the country well in education and health services, apart from the gospel commission, which is its core responsibility,” Dr Gena said.
“This funding is from the Church and Social Services Funding policy initiative of the Marape-Rosso government, being an initiative featuring 10 per cent of every dividend received from the mineral harvests in our country with the primary focus on church infrastructure development works.”
Dr Gena urged the Church to be transparent and accountable with the funds and to acquit and provide quarterly reports on the use of the funds to the company.
Meanwhile, Mr Ghona thanked the company and Dr Gena for the donation and assured that the Church would provide the financial reports to the company.
“Thank you to Kumul Minerals Holding Limited for the donation. It is a bonus for us (the Church) as our schools have infrastructure issues. Such funding will help,” Mr Ghona said.
Associate CFO Thomas Ariku, University of Technology Adventist Residential College manager Pastor Nime Banne and education associate director Jethro Rabie witnessed the occasion at the Church’s head office in Lae.
