CDI Foundation is a non-profit Trust Fund existing under the laws of Papua New Guinea representing an emerging concept for addressing social change and development. It is primarily supported by corporations in the petroleum industry to build the capacity of rural communities in the provinces which these companies have invested to address social needs of these communities.

CDI stands for Community Development Initiatives. The CDI Foundation builds upon community development initiatives originally carried out by a consortium of oil companies in the Southern Highlands and Gulf Provinces of PNG since construction of the oilfield and pipeline facilities commenced there in 1990. After ten years of lessons learned, the oil companies had identified a number of limitations to their efforts in implementing these initiatives and determined that supporting a separate, sustainable NGO would be a more effective means of facilitating development in the area.

The CDI Foundation Trust Fund was established by the oil companies in 2001 as an independent, non-government organisation (NGO) to generate support for the communities that would build capacity and generate sustainable benefits beyond the life of oil and gas production in the area. People and programs were transferred from Chevron Niugini, then acting as Operator of the oilfields into the newly formed Foundation and supplemented with new staff recruited with experience from other NGOs in Papua New Guinea. CDI set about trying to establish a hybrid organisational culture of its own, attempting to draw the best elements from both the private sector and the non-profit sector.

By the end of 2003, ChevronTexaco Corporation sold its interests in PNG and Oil Search Ltd took over as Operator of the oilfields. At this point, CDI restructured its organisation, localised its Executive Director position and became completely independent of the management support it had received from Chevron Niugini. CDI continues to receive its primary funding support from Oil Search Ltd and the joint venture of oil companies in PNG, but is building increasing support from a diverse range of donors and partner organisations.

CDI Foundation will work in partnership with the Government and other stakeholders in rural communities of the Gulf & Southern Highlands provinces to improve their livelihoods for sustainable development.

The long term vision is for CDI to be a sustainable NGO and a good steward of natural resources with a strong capacity to deliver high quality social services where most needed in the target communities in the Southern Highlands and Gulf Provinces of PNG. With CDI’s help, communities will develop a strong sense of self-reliance and actively participate in the development planning processes of the local level governments. Government bodies and other local providers of social services will maintain a strong capacity for identifying community needs and addressing them in an effective and sustainable manner. It is envisioned that CDI continues to utilise participatory approaches both within CDI’s internal systems, as well as in stakeholder engagement.

CDI Staff, 2004 - 2005

CDI’s role in this vision is to work in a manner that is both complementary and supplementary to the role of the government and other organisations operating in the target areas as true partners in development – planning, learning, and implementing effective programs together. In spite of close government relations, CDI will manage to remain neutral and uninvolved in politics. Other NGOs will regard CDI as a solid collaborator and provider of quality professional services, such as conducting evaluations, offering training, and providing an effective link with government. CDI will seek to support and improve capacity amongst all stakeholders through awareness of critical needs and the provision of training to develop skills.

CDI’s programs will strive to be models for the country. Its management and staff will all contribute to the learning organisation culture, which reflects CDI’s organisational values. These values will reflect an approach to development that is conscious of gender issues and environmental concerns. CDI will also pride itself in its safety record, successfully demonstrating its efforts to promote a safe and healthy work environment for its employees and partners.

CDI Foundation will play a key role in supporting eventual closure plans for the oilfield operations in its target areas as they relate to managing the social impacts on the affected communities. Although closure is not expected to occur for several years to come, CDI will build its own capacity during the period of oilfield operations to ensure that it is well-prepared to assist the communities with the transition when it occurs.

CDI’s values identify four key areas for which it strives to demonstrate its organisational capabilities – Stewardship, Excellence, Capacity and Sustainability. Outlined below are the values that will guide decision-making and form the basis for organisational and individual performance assessments.

Accordingly:

• An independent Board of Directors will govern CDI Foundation without discrimination to race, colour, nationality, age or sex.
• CDI's finances will be managed in such a way to ensure funds are utilised for the purposes intended by the donors.
• CDI will carry out its activities and administer its funds in a manner that is open and transparent to all stakeholders.
• In all activities, CDI will support universal human rights and respect the dignity, values, history, religion and culture of employees, the communities that it works with and the stakeholders it associates with.
• CDI shall endeavour to follow best management practices by:

• Respecting its employees’ voluntary freedom of association
• Providing a safe and healthy workplace
• Promoting equal opportunity for employees at all levels of the organisation with respect to colour, race, gender, age, ethnicity or religious belief
• Prohibiting unacceptable treatment of its workers such as exploitation of children, physical punishment, sexual harassment or other forms of abuse.
• Promoting fair competition, including respect for intellectual and other property rights and not offer, pay or accept bribes
• Compensating employees to enable them to meet their basic needs and provide the opportunity to improve their skills and capabilities in order to increase their social and economic opportunities.

• Facilitating self-reliance and self-help to avoid dependency.
• Using participatory approaches to ensure all affected groups take part in the design, implementation and evaluation of programs and activities.
• Working with and through local and national groups and assisting in their institutional strengthening.
• Integrating gender participation and awareness of gender issues into every aspect of program design and implementation to foster equitable participation and benefits for both men and women.

 

CDI’s has three training centre facilities in its field locations. These are Kutubu, Kikori and Samberigi and one administration and support office in Port Moresby.

The map below summaries CDI’s current and planned facilities in the field locations. Following is a brief description on current capacity and plans for developing the facilities.

Kutubu Facility

CDI’s Moro Training Centre serves the Kutubu area and is established at Moro airport near Lake Kutubu in the Southern Highlands Province. This allows CDI to draw upon the transportation and communications infrastructure of Oil Search Ltd there. This centre houses offices for both CDI and WWF as well as accommodation and classroom/conference room. Agricultural demonstration plots and village skills training facilities have also been established at Moro.

Current plans are to construct CTCS program facilities for providing correspondent matriculation and diploma courses of the University of Papua New Guinea. The Southern Highlands Provincial Government is developing plans to re-establish the Vocational Training Centre at the Pimaga Sub-District Centre near Lake Kutubu, and the Pimaga Sub District Administration has requested CDI to relocate to the Sub-District Centre. CDI plans to work with the provincial government to re-establish this facility and develop plans to establish CDI offices and training facilities at Pimaga to work more closely with government officials there.

Samberigi

CDI’s training centre at Samberigi is smaller than those at Kutubu and Kikori as the programs and activities are also be supported from personnel located at both Moro and Kikori. A small office/training facility has been constructed on the grounds of the Evangelical Church of PNG - Mission at Samberigi and includes offices, a classroom and accommodation for staff visiting from other locations. CDI’s Samberigi based staff work on a residential basis with close access to their home villages.

Kikori Training Facility

CDI primary training facilities have been established at the Government District Centre of Kikori as it has the most infrastructure support of the three locations to provide for staff working on a resident basis. The training centre has been established on land provided under agreement with the Gulf Provincial Government. It includes offices for both CDI and WWF, classrooms, a library and a radio studio. Accommodation and messing facilities have been constructed for staff working on rotation and two permanent staff houses for residential staff. CDI is assisting the government agricultural officers in Kikori, whose office conjoins CDI’s Training Centre, to expand their agricultural demonstration plots and carry out training for local farmers.

CDI Kikori Training Centre

As a part of its agreement with the government, CDI has also renovated an old unused agricultural shed belonging to DPI at the same location. This shed has been converted into office facilities for Kikori district DPI. Staff are also drawing upon power and infrastructure available from the CDI centre.
Future plans for the facility include the construction of classrooms for skills training, further development of agriculture research and demonstration facilities and residential accommodation throughout the plan period

CDI FM Radio Station

A significant part of the facilities CDI has established for supporting its programs and objectives is its community radio station – CDI FM, broadcasting throughout the targeted communities. As these communities have no readily available form of media to serve them, there is considerable interest from the communities in the radio station, which provides entertainment and news as well as a broad range of development programming and awareness messages for the community.

Dennis Flemming and Isikeli Taureka open CDI FM at the Kikori Training Center Launching

Port Moresby Office

CDI’s Port Moresby Office was primarily established to maintain relations with government and donor representatives in the capital of Papua New Guinea and network with agencies and other non-government organisations working in the country, as well as provide administrative support to the field officers for supplies as needed. With increased partnerships plans are to build a training centre in Port Moresby with conference and media facilities to provide service to other agencies and to conduct training and communication material production.

.CDI Port Moresby Training Centre

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