By Tracey.N. Paliou
Information Officer

HISTORY:
The Diocese initially established the Information Services Program in 1997 as the Communications Department. We are now in our twelveth year. For a short time in 2001, we were actually operating as two departments, the Publications Department, which handled all the regular Diocesan publications and the Communication Department, which dealt with communications within the Diocese and specific requests for information. Towards the end of 1999, the two departments were amalgamated into one, now called the Communication Department. And in 2005 after the launching of the Diocesan 5 year Cooperate Plan, the name of the department was changed yet again to Information Services Program under the administrative structure of the Finance and Administrative Ministry.

The objective of the program is to be a resourceful avenue through which information is disseminated by use of widespread media to all areas of the Diocese in the following annually planned activities:

The program also tries to evangelise through the written and spoken word, and upholds the Diocesan Mission Vision as the voice of the people of Aitape, Lumi, Nuku and Sandaun Province.

We keep abreast of happenings in the news media that have an effect on the Diocese and bring to the attention of the relevant people those happenings that the Diocese feels it should have input. Particularly with reference to changes in the Government Policies affecting Health and Education services and the provision of infrastructure services such as roads. The Diocese of Aitape feels it should have an active profile in the local community and the Information Services Program is one vehicle through which it achieves this.

Another function of the Program is to maintain a constant flow of information out into those areas devastated by the July 17, 1998 tsunami. Relevant news and updates on the rebuilding program is distributed through this Program by way of our monthly published newsletter - Aitape Star. We also supply most of the news on the tsunami area to the National media.

When the two departments were amalgamated we continued with three staff up until Christmas. After the Christmas period one of our staff left the Diocese of Aitape, which at times makes the workload a bit tough for us to try and keep up with. We are in the process of finding a replacement. We also occasionally employ students on job experience basis. Our last work experience placement finished at the end of January 2000 to return to Unitech in Lae to continue her Civil Engineering studies.

Our main activities are centering in the production of various publications as mentioned earlier. Our commitments are Monthly Diocesan Bulletin (Aitape Star), Quarterly newsletter for Education Agency (Fly-On). We produce weekly media releases in Tok Pigin and English that appear in the National newspapers, particularly the Post Courier, and Catholic Reporter, and we also do news reporting from the diocese for Radio Maria.

Our mission now is to include training to assist youth in report writing, public speeches and how to write short articles in the parishes where they are. We are also looking at the possibility of having communication arts students from the Divine Word University, Madang, on practical work experience. Exercises such as these are important because it extends our links throughout Papua New Guinea.

We also do website page designing and management and we provide email services for the general public at the cost in order to try and generate some form of income needed to help sustain the program. However, lack of adequate funding has been an ongoing constraint for the past 12 years since its (program) first establishment.

Although we would like to reach out as furthest we can, but logistics have always been a hard obsticle to overcome. However with perseverence and trust in God, we try to do our best in serving our people in the spirit of Christ's service.