The Waruna speaking people are in the Middle Fly District of Western Province—the least populated area of the country. They live alongside the Fly River, where the Fly River is wide.
The Waruna are happy to use their native tongue in everyday communication. By necessity they also use Gogodala, a larger, neighboring language to get along.
By necessity they get around in canoes, relying on water for both transportation and food. District data show that some locals also grow coconut and food crops, raise poultry, fish and earn income by growing rubber trees.
Like most peoples in PNG, the Waruna are mostly Christian.
Their livelihood has been threatened in the past by river pollution from mining.
The self-reported literacy rate in Middle Fly District is 71.8% (male) and 60.7% (female), but sadly there are no materials in Waruna to read and no scripture in Waruna to sustain 45% of the population who are Christian.
Pray that pollution will subside and that they will develop safe, sustainable ways of supporting themselves.
Pray that they will thirst for the word of God and long for it to be translated into their own language.
Pray that available audio scriptures in Gogodala will stir hearts to know the author of life.
Scripture Prayers for the Waruna in Papua New Guinea.
Wycliffe Bible Translators
| Profile Source: Joshua Project |
