New JICA Volunteers undergo a dynamic Tok Pisin Training in Eastern Highlands

A welcome twist to the Tok Pisin Training usually held in Port Moresby office, this time the 3 newest JICA volunteers travelled over to the Eastern Highlands Province to the serene and unique home of the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) PNG in Ukarumpa Valley, Kainantu.

The 10 days PNG Orientation Course was tailor-made to suit the expectations of the JICA Volunteer Program and was the first time for both JICA and SIL to partner and successfully deliver the course, held from 11 – 20 August, 2025. Part of the holistic program included visits to the Kainantu Hospital, National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) and the Coffee Industry Corporation (CIC). Specific lectures on PNG Anthropology, traditional cuisine and cooking practices were also offered and the volunteers visited the SIL clinic and listened to talks on Infectious Diseases in PNG.
On Sunday, the group attended a church service with locals in the area and experienced for the first time a Christian fellowship, made up of a protestant congregation.

As part of the training outcome, the participating volunteers also recorded self-introduction videos in Tok Pisin. Please take a look at the videos to see them speaking in the local language.
Tok Pisin Traing for JICA Volunteer(2025-1)