Marijuana and drunkenness have been a problem in Niunk, Komaip, Kanak, Kembos and Mamal villages for a long time now.

The drugs poisoning their brains, young people give up going to school and abandon any dreams they had about their future.

They see each day as the end of life and make poor choices, drawing them into tribal fighting and criminal activities.

To change the attitude of these people, the government of Papua New Guinea has invested millions of kina to improve law and order in these isolated societies of Wild West Enga.

But the government has not been able to make it happen and now the SDA church has stepped in to help.

In preparation for the program, Kuplam SDA Church contributed K3,040 to buy food for the guests.

There were 45 chickens, four cartons of lamb flaps, one bag of pineapples, one bag of cucumbers, five cartons of Coke, a 230 kilogram bag of rice, a 20 kilogram bag of flour, a bag of potatoes and three bags of kaukau.

Some 163 drunkards were invited to attend the program, but more than that came, including the buai sellers and other uninvited guests. , Eventually about 500 people attended the program.

They included delegates from government, other Christian churches, community leaders and tribesmen.

And there were guest speakers from councils, government agencies and the Catholic, Lutheran and Apostolic churches.

The representative of Enga governor Sir Peter Ipatas donated K500 and said a similar event should take place every 3-6 months.

Jime Teil, speaking for the police department, said: “Even the police have no idea to develop such a program to help the youths. We act in contradiction to them. But the good Lord has love and care for them.”

Laiagam district administrator Kevin Yare declared that “by God’s grace Wild West has to be changed to God’s royal people. Man cannot but only God can.”

And from a drunkard of Lakmus village: ”Now I publicly declare that I am no longer drunkard, I am converted into the SDA church to be the servant of God from the salve of Satan.”

The movement is spreading and now not only Kuplam SDA has hosted the drug conversance program but almost every church in Enga Province has hosted theirs as well.

The Wapenamanda District of Enga has invited no less than 10,000 drunkards to attend its program in December.

My personal observation is that the Seventh Day Adventist Church developed an idea to help the youth of our society and I am sure that if every Christian church in this country did the same this would help our youths stop polluting their minds with drugs.