Unreliable air service forces Peace Corp out of Kiribati
Updated
The American Peace Corp program will end its commitment to Kiribati this year. Country Director, Michael Koffman says unreliable domestic air services over the past couple of years have made it too dangerous for volunteers to be left on the remote outer islands. The remaining staff will leave Kiribati in October ending a 35 year relationship with the country.
Presenter: Geraldine Coutts
Speaker: Country Director for the American Peace Corp Program, Michael Koffman
KOFFMAN: There's been a history of erratic and unreliable domestic flight issues in Kiribati and Peace Corp is a very unique agency. We send our volunteers to the most remote islands, the outer islands in Kiribati, and so it's important that when we place them out there that we can provide them with the support and the security that they're entitled to. And the big issue is that when we put our volunteers on these outer islands if we don't have any domestic air that's operational, if there is any kind of medical emergency we're unable to get to them in an expedient manner. So that's the major concern.
COUTTS: The government owned Air Kiribati Limited provides the country's domestic air services. Personnel and Development Officer, Itibwebwe Kabiriera says they're unaware of the American Peace Corp's decision to leave Kiribati. Mr Kabiriera says the airline has been having problems in recent weeks but they now have this second aircraft back in service.
KABIRIERA: Our schedule is still flying and they maybe worried for the last two or three weeks we've been flying with one aircraft only, so that's maybe why they're worried. But now the aircraft are being back to two aircraft and we're back to service again. And then that's the case and we don't know why their decision as they mentioned.
COUTTS: Country Manager for the American Peace Corp Michael Koffman says they've been negotiating with the government for two years about their concerns. It's not just the recent problems with the airline on which they have based their decision to leave Kiribati.
KOFFMAN: This issue has been going on for at least two years now, and the country has two domestic aircraft and I think they're trying to do the best they can. But the aircraft are old and sometimes they're operational and sometimes they're not. We've been in contact with the government here on this issue for the past year and a half, and we've been monitoring it very closely, and in fact what we've done for the past year and a half is we've kept the program going but we just weren't sending new volunteers to Kiribati. So as volunteers would complete their two year service, when they would leave the program would get smaller and smaller. The deal was that once the situation was rectified we would then start to send volunteers again.
COUTTS: The remaining staff and volunteers will leave Kiribati by October. The volunteers will be reassigned to other parts of the world, and the funds allocated for the Kiribati US Peace Corp program will be shifted to other countries. But will the money and staff remain in the Pacific?
KOFFMAN: I think those decisions are being made at a level above me, that would be the director back in Washington who will decide where those assets go. There are five other Peace Corp programs in the Pacific; in Samoa, Vanuatu, Tonga, Micronesia and Fiji. So I would believe that those programs would be under consideration for some of those assets but I can't tell you specifically where those assets would be going.
COUTTS: What impact will the departure by the American Peace Corp program have on the ground in Kiribati?
KOFFMAN: I think it has a great impact, on both Americans and Kiribati alike. I know that the volunteers here have absolutely loved their time here and they really learned a lot, in a lot of cases a life changing experience for them to come from the US where we have plenty and share the lives of the people here. Now Peace Corp volunteers live in the villages with the local community that they live in the same types of houses with no running water and no electricity. So it's a very powerful experience for the Americans that come here. And certainly for the Kiribati people it's a great experience as well because they get to learn about Americans instead of getting their knowledge from what they see on TV and things like that. And also from an international developmental point of view I think our volunteers are really able to help some of the local people and the communities really marshal their resources and do some really good things in the community. So I think it's a big loss for everyone.
