Good news has arrived for the Manda Community in Jiwaka Province! A new NGO called the Manda Community Development Foundation Incorporated (MCDFI) has officially started. Their goal is to bring back life and peace to this area, which has faced  problems for a long time. About 30,000 people live in the Manda area.

Manda used to be a busy place for business in the 1960s to early 1990s. They grew famous coffee at Danal Plantation and had a big factory in Tsigmil to prepare it. But over the years, the area has fallen apart. It's cut off from the main road by the big Waghi River, and many things, like roads, bridges, and even a police station, have been ruined because of tribal fights that went on for almost 30 years.

Sadly, people now call the Manda area 'back-page,' meaning it's like the end of the world with nothing left

Even though things are tough, Manda has a big advantage: many educated people. But because life is so hard there, a lot of these educated people have moved to bigger towns and cities, leaving the community in even greater need. Only a few small schools and a health center, run by a church, are still open, along with two high schools that just started a couple of years ago.

The MCDF is here to fix these problems. They want to help the Manda Community by gathering money and support from different groups, like other aid organizations, the government, families, and businesses. They will use this help for many things, like improving schools and healthcare, fixing roads and bridges, creating jobs, and making sure the environment and money matters are handled well.

For 50 years since Papua New Guinea became independent, the Manda Community has been forgotten, even though they live close to a very important main road.

The MCDF is here to speak up for them. We will work closely with community leaders and government groups to find the biggest problems and solve them together."

The MCDF promises to be open and honest about how they work, letting the community help make decisions and regularly sharing what they've done. Beyond just helping now, they want to set up a special fund that will keep helping the community for a long time. This includes offering scholarships for education and making sure local groups can keep helping themselves in the future.

By getting everyone involved and showing new ways to develop, the MCDF hopes to make sure that projects keep going and help more people. The Manda Community Development Foundation is ready to make a real difference, turning the "back-page" into a lively and strong community for everyone.