AS I tried to pen this story about a kind hearted man who put into practice his faith to help his people in need, I was inspired to share this verse from a scripture from the bible.

Mathew 25:35-40, stresses on how God will reward his faithful servants in the last days based on what they did while they were on earth.

The faithfuls are depicted as those that served humanity - especially the destitute (poor), the sick, the old, the widows, the orphans, prisoners, and the unfortunate members of the community.

In verse 40 it quotes the King replying, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."

Around midday, Tuesday (Oct 20), this week, after dropping off teachers from the school that I teach (Waghi Valley Secondary School) at Fatima Secondary and Banz Lutheran Day High to invigilate the Grade 10 examinations, I went on the school truck to a village called Kulamp in the Kendu 1 ward of North Waghi electorate where Dr. Fabian Pok is the parliamentarian representative.

Me and fellow teacher Mr. Samuel Dos, Tumai, our security man, and our driver Patrick (Patri as we call him) went there to collect some sewn timbers for Patri's house at his village at Bung.

It could only take us about thirty minutes to load the timber and return but then I realised we spent almost two hours there because something caught my attention.

The person that supplied Patri (our driver) with the timber was actually building a huge house with his carpenter and some young men when we met them.

I asked what was going on and was told that they were building a community sub-health centre.

I learnt that David Gelu, a local from Kulamp village from the Kumukanem clan of Tsenglap tribe was actually behind the construction of the building.

Around September of 2018, after realising that there was an urgent need for medical services in the area, Gelu converted his newly built family house, just after a month's use, into a health post.

The devout member of the Evangelical Brotherhood Church (EBC), his wife and five children made the decision for the common good not because someone forced them.

"I have seen the struggles our mothers and sisters faced during pregnancy. The distance from our village to Fatima Catholic Health Centre and Kudjip Nazarene Provincial Hospital is far.

"Our women have died from birth complications. While we carried our sick people, the elderly or those injured on the stretcher up to the main road at Dumbola before catching a bus to Fatima or ferrying them across the Waghi River to Kudjip, they died on the way.

"It really broke my heart to see our people die like this through such struggles.

"I was convicted to do something to help my people so that basic health service is made accessible right at the doorstep," Mr. Gelu tells me.

Mr. Gelu has used his own resources like timber to build two other permanent houses which are into their final stages of completion that would house health worker posted there.

His efforts caught the attention of the Jiwaka Health Division which recognised the set-up as a level 2 community health post (CHP), and a young nurse was posted there but she left in 2019. Last year, a young man by the name of John Bige, filled in this gap as an aid-post orderly (APO).

"Now, our women are giving birth while those with cuts and injuries also receive treatment right here. Transferrals are done on cases that need doctor's attention," Mr. Gelu explain.

The APO (Mr. Bige) was not there when we arrived but an excited Mr. Gelu told us that Sr. Kolly Bang, the superindentent for district health services in the province and North Waghi district health officer (DHO) Nang Boma visited the CHP, giving hint that it could well and truly be elevated into a health sub-centre.

Most notable is the impressive frame that is currently in progress - the construction of a modern health centre that Mr. Gelu describes would have a labour ward and outpatient ward, most likely to be completed in late 2021.

"It is purely my own initiative. I am just a simple villager but I am proud of where we are heading," Mr. Gelu added.

He thanked the local MP, Dr. Pok for a support of K20,000 which they received sometime in May last year.

Mr. Gelu appreciates the support accorded towards this cause by the community in providing labour especially with young men helping out his carpenter Mr. Moses Tungan, and his aids in building the ward structure, as well as providing lunch.

One of the sacrifices Mr. Gelu made is that he decided to forego his son's education and concentrated on the construction of the health sub-centre.

"My son was supposed to do Grade 11 this year but I told him to stay back so that we finish this building.

"This project would cost us over half a million kina and that's why we anticipate it to take us some time but we will work slowly with whatever resources we have at hand.

"We will do our best and God will do the rest because with God nothing is impossible."

This holistic initiative of a village man with strong faith to invest in God's work to serve fellow human beings will benefit around 10-15, 000 people from the Molka 1, Kuiona 1, Dumbola 1, Tolu 1 and Kendu 1 wards.

Let us pray for divine intervention so that some form of support is given towards this heartful initiative aimed for the common good.

We should take heed of Mathew 6:19-21 "Do not store up for yourselves’ treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves’ treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

I hope we find inspiration in what Mr. Gelu is doing.

Story by HOFFMAN GULGARYE.