A Mother to a Nation

 Miss Glenda Giles holds an impressive array of achievements, she is a pioneer, missionary and firm friend to MAF.

Born in New Zealand, Glenda began her outreach to the people of Papua New Guinea in 1967, moving to a remote region with Christian Brethren Churches to work on Bible translation. Completing a New Testament in a local Yuna dialect, Glenda decided to turn her focus to education. 

Glenda Giles at the Dedication of Duna New Testament

In 1976, she started a High School at Koroba in the mountainous Hela Province, then another in 1987 at Margarima. Becoming a secondary school inspector, Glenda went on to open Green River High School in 1991 and finally Oksapmin High School in 2007, both in the north-western Sandaun Province. The opening of these schools saw Glenda fully dependent on MAF, with aircraft providing the only way in out. 

Now well into her seventies and known affectionately as ‘Miss Glenda’, she is still teaching at Oksapmin, with a strong passion to educate future generations of local children. 

“It brings tears for me,” says Glenda as she reflects on her long-term partnership with MAF. “I am so grateful to MAF that they bought our papers so these students could sit their exams,” she says, smiling. 

Her classroom is light, airy and full of energy. English posters teach pronouns, verbs and prepositions, illustrated by jolly cartoons in many colours. Sunlight peeps in through tiny cracks in the walls, which are woven from long strands of reed. It feels like being encased inside a gigantic wicker basket. 

On the blackboard is a busy timetable, beginning at 7:45am and displaying a packed week of activity. Each day begins with a prayerful briefing and ends with sport. A poster next to Glenda’s desk displays colourful words declaring the name and character of Jesus. 

Glenda Giles with MAF pilots Holger Lasi and Mathias Glass at Tekin

“This is a very remote place, the only way in and out is by plane,” Glenda explains. “Everything that we can’t produce for ourselves locally is brought in by MAF.”

Outside during recess, the older pupils are cutting the grass with long machetes. Young men are working on a building project, slicing huge lengths of bamboo ready to construct a big wooden frame for an outbuilding using similar, formidable blades. 

“We are very dependent on MAF,” says Glenda. “They bring in our mail. They deliver food for the students. If we are sick, they take us out. But most of all, they are our friends. They are friends of the students and friends of the teachers. They support us and share in all that we are doing here.”

This friendship is clear to see, and the students confirm how reliant they are on MAF’s little planes. 

Setting a writing assignment entitled ‘If Aeroplanes had Never Come’, Glenda helps her students anticipate the arrival of their exam papers with contemplation and gratitude. 

“If aeroplanes had never come to my valley, my family, my clan and I would be living in the Dark Ages without a single glimmer of light,” writes Nasep. 

“If aeroplanes had never come, most of the people couldn’t earn money. MAF brings in cargo, transports sick patients and takes out the vegetables we send to other places. It brings pastors in too!” enthuses Glen. 

“Without the plane,” writes Gondo, “people would have no medical aid, no church and no school. People might not even know who God is. We say thank you to MAF because the plane came and brought us all of this.”

Like so many schools across PNG, Okspamin High School is understaffed, crowded and has minimal resources. Yet many of the 120 students will out-perform those in PNG’s most prestigious colleges, ranking it among the top ten schools in the country. 

Grade 9 classroom

These results are a testament to the excellence and commitment of one extraordinary, faith-filled woman and the students she has committed her life to. 

“But,” Glenda concludes, “I can say that if there was no MAF, we wouldn’t be here at all. And these children would not be getting the education that they deserve.”

"A lot of the students in PNG have testimonies about Miss Glenda. She is not just a principal and teacher; she is a mother to our nation." Juda, Former student, now a teacher at Okspamin High School

Statement 

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