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Us and the Beginning

We are an eclectic group of people who had the opportunity of living and working in Papua. While there we saw a need, discovered ways to meet those needs and are eager to implement change by helping Papuans.

A small prayer group began taking a collection in order to purchase Bibles translated in the local languages so that people who did not speak English or Indonesian could read God's word in their own language. One day one of the members, an expatriate born and raised in Papua, asked the church for assistance for the people he had grown up with in the village where he was raised.

These people were from the Yali tribe from in the Holuwon area, south east of Wamena. They were students living in shacks, short of food and threatened with expulsion from school because they had no money. They desperately needed financial aid for room, board, supplies and tuition. So the fellowship agreed to help.

As time went on a kernel of an idea had begun to take shape. It did not require much money by Western standards to meet the students needs. The students were so grateful and the prayer group was so excited to learn that a few dollars could help so many that they decided to start a formal organization to help the many others in need. Thus the Papua Education Program( PEP) was incorporated as a US non-profit charitable organization in October, 2004.

The Board in Question

Chris Brannick Ajamiseba
Chris Brannick Ajamiseba graduated with honors from the University of Michigan and received a Masters of Public Health at Tulane University. She and her husband raised four children overseas in Papua, Jakarta and Singapore. Chris taught 10 years at Jakarta International School and Singapore American School. She also worked for The World Health Organization, PATH and the International Health Department at Tulane University.

Ferdinand Deda (Eddy)
After graduating from Universitas Klabat Manado, Indonesia with BA in Accounting in 1998, Eddy worked as an English instructor at a small church-operated English school and as a school treasurer/teacher at his alma mater (middle-school) in Sorong - Papua. He joined PT. Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) in December 2000. After working for five years at PTFI , he was granted the Fulbright scholarship by the U.S Department of State to do his Masteral studies in the U.S. He, by the blessings from God, finished his MBA studies from the University of Akron, Ohio in 2007. Working with youth at the church and singing in the church have always been his deepest passion. Eddy is an active member of Kuala Kencana Seventh-Day Adventist Church.

Lisa Schwab
Lisa Schwab has lived overseas for most of her life. Born in Ankara, Turkey she spent her childhood in the fareast living in Hong Kong, Guam, Taipei, Taiwan,and Bangkok, Thailand, before the unrest of the war ending in Vietnam sent her and her family back to the USA. She completed her high school education in Reno, Nevada, and continued her higher education there prior to getting married. Her married life took her to Elko, Nevada and then on to Salt Lake City, Utah. Her heart has always been in the medical field, where she has worked her entire adult life. Lisa and her husband owned and managed a successful nitro funny car drag racing team while in Utah. They raced the national western states circuit for 3 years prior to coming to Papua. Lisa has two wonderful sons and a beautiful daughter-in-law, who bring her much joy in her life. Lisa, and her husband Robert, have lived in Papua for 5 years where they enjoy staying active with golf, go-carting, and the Papua Education Program. Lisa has been president of of PEP since June of 2010. She enjoys the fund raising portion of her position, and the interaction with the children PEP helps to educate. Lisa is excited to have found a project in PEP that is able to give back to the community she lives in, and that is such a worthwhile cause.

Heather Golds
Heather Golds (as did husband Allen, and children) began life in New Zealand. She spent 20 years in accountancy, banking and business admin but in recent years, has 'gone over' to the other side of her brain and now just loves to create, sew, cook, garden, play music, and do sport and now loathes even checking the bank statements. According to Heather, her husband has always led her into all kinds of new adventures - with their young family, they migrated to Australia and lived aboard their yacht for 3 years. Whilst planning to sail to Ambon, family & friends' illnesses lured them to sail back across the Tasman and whilst there, a job offer took them by land instead, to a Sumatran oilfield where Heather homeschooled their children for 3 yrs. Their outward going life has led them afar - son married to an English girl and daughter's fiancée from North Carolina. Life in Sumatra was an adventure, weekends helping Allen in an outreach program which refurbished and built small outlying churches many of which could only be reached on their motorbike or 4WD. They were involved in various sporting and community events, both as participants and organizers, and sport has still played a big part in their life during the 3 years they have lived in Kuala Kencana. Heather considers herself a 'helper' - and finds joy in helping those underprivileged..hence she says "getting on board with PEP was an easy decision."

Lori Schroeder
Lori Schroeder lives in Kuala Kencana with her husband and two children. She cherishes the time she is able to devote to her family here. Lori often helps out at the International School; she is involved with the Kuala Kencana ladies club; and she recently began teaching religion to Christian children of the expat community. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Management and an MBA from the University of New Orleans. Before moving to Papua in 2006, Lori lived all her life in New Orleans, Louisiana, where she worked in the field of Human Resources Management for 15 years.

Frank Allen
Frank Allen, graduated cum laude from The University of Texas at Arlington with a BBA - Accounting in 1974. Mr. Allen has over thirty years progressive finance and accounting management experience comprised of multi-national assignments in Southeast Asia, Central America and Canada. He worked and resided in Indonesia with his family from 1989 until 2003. Mr. Allen currently resides in San Antonio, Texas and commutes regularly to Papua Indonesia, where he serves as Technical Advisor to the accounting department of Freeport McMoRan Copper and Gold's Indonesian mining subsidiary. He, his wife Denny, and their four sons are members of Woodland Baptist Church in San Antonio.

Sue Ledger
Sue Ledger has been an educator for the past 23 years. She has been blessed with a wonderful husband who is also an educator and two delightful children. Sue comes from a strong Catholic background. She has taught Kindergarten through to Tertiary students from large private girl's schools to remote aboriginal mission schools. She has traveled nationally and internationally training teachers and teaching students in a range of fields. Sue has a Diploma of Education (Primary), Bachelor of Education (Art & Science), Graduate Diploma of Education (Asian Studies), Master of Education (Second Language Acquisition) and is currently completing her PhD (International Education) from the University of Western Australia. Sue and her husband have published nine educational books for children in recent years.

Rudy Plaisance
Rudy Plaisance graduated from Arkansas College of Technology in 1976. For the last 28 years he has worked providing engineering and technical support in both the Oil and Gas and Mining Industries with extensive travels through most regions of the world. For the past 13 years he has been with Freeport McMoRan working at their mine site in West Papua , Indonesia . Rudy is married and has three children. They reside in Texas with Rudy traveling back and forth to Indonesia on a regular basis. He enjoys fishing , piloting light aircraft and tinkering with technology.

Stacey Plaisance
Stacy Plaisance attended Harding University. She worked as a radiology technician until she married and moved to Indonesia where she raised three children. While living in Indonesia for 12 years she participated in numerous community activities including volunteer work with cancer survivors, working at the school, teaching piano and guitar lessons and participating in village reproductive health projects including HIV testing. Stacy is an accomplished musician, songwriter and teacher.

Iain Wilson
Iain Wilson was born and raised in Papua (Irian Jaya). He is married to a beautiful, talented and well educated Batak-Papuan woman who has a career background with major multi-national corporations as a key accounts manager. Selvy now works hard at home raising their 3 sons. He has spent a few years in Great Britain and did his university in Canada graduating with a BA in Political Science.

Eloise Arnold
Eloise Arnold graduated with honors from Bowie State University in Maryland, USA with a degree in Early Childhood Education. She received her Masters Degree in Counseling and Personnel Services from the University of Maryland. Eloise has been involved in the field of education for 19 years both as a teacher and guidance counselor. She and her husband have worked in Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Irian Jaya and Romania as well as the United States. She is currently residing in Houston, Texas with her husband and two wonderful daughters where she is pursuing graduate level courses and teaching part-time.

Mission and Goals

The purpose of the Papuan Education Program is to raise money in order to improve the lives of Papuans by providing the financial means for students to attend government and private educational institutions. In addition we also hope to provide opportunities for Papuans to participate in informal education programs such as health education, HIV awareness, community development, mother/child health and Bible schools. Money raised will be used to support Papuan students by providing programs, support staff, tuition, room, board, books, local transportation, educational supplies, and uniforms or suitable clothing and footwear as needed.

Our goal is to improve the lives of Papuans so that they can be competitive in the modern world, gainfully employed, productive, successful, prosperous, and leaders in their own land. We believe that the best way to develop Papua and improve the lives of Papuans is to provide them with educational opportunities.