Boat for Island Translation Training

Bougainville Advance is a program addressing the needs of language groups and dialects in the Bougainville Province, an autonomous region within Papua New Guinea (PNG). This program offers Bougainvilleans training for translation and literacy, Scripture-use courses, and computer workshops.

Training to equip Christians for engagement in Bible translation has been offered at Ukarumpa in the highlands—but travel there is expensive and time consuming. It’s a three-day trip by ship and then a four-hour ride by road to reach Ukarumpa from Buka. Many participants also have a day’s travel to reach Buka. These issues led to establishing local training at the Buka Center which is on an island far removed from the mainland of Papua New Guinea.

There are 41 language groups in Bougainville Province, including some significant dialects. Several language groups have already sent participants to the Translation Training Courses held in Buka.

To facilitate activities at the Buka Center, an open fiberglass speedboat with an outboard motor is needed to improve island access in the Buka area. Local “banana boats” tend to be overloaded, have poorly maintained outboard engines, and rarely carry flotation devices and emergency equipment.

This purchase will greatly benefit students, teams, and staff who travel to and from many nearby islands, through more predictable scheduling and significantly improved safety. This boat will: