Ukarumpa & the Aiyura Valley

Ukarumpa is the centre of operations for the work of Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) Branch in Papua New Guinea. The centre itself is about 1.5km (1 mile) in diameter and is located in the Aiyura Valley of the Eastern Highlands Province. In addition to missionary and citizen staff housing, the centre includes various services designed to support residents and Bible translation around the country. These services include a store, a clinic, a construction and maintenance department, a computing and technical services department, a training centre, an auto maintenance shop, and a central Branch administration building. The Staff Care and Youth Ministry departments are active, and each runs its own designated facility. Just down the road from the main centre is the aviation department with its own maintained grass airstrip and both helicopters and airplanes. The population of Ukarumpa averages between 500-800 people.

Local Activities
The school is, in many ways, the heart of the community, with community members attending music concerts, plays, and other school events on a regular basis. Occasionally, the staff care department sponsors retreats or weekend coffee shops. Also in the community are tennis courts, a weight room, a water slide, frisbee golf courses, and a horse paddock. People often swim or go inner-tubing on the weekends in the river that winds around the centre.  Some large, maintained fields allow for activities such as volleyball, softball, and Ultimate frisbee games, and the Teen Centre is available to rent for special events.  The area also offers opportunities for hiking, mountain biking, motorcycling, and visiting local villages.  Twenty minutes away is the nearest good-sized town, Kainantu, which has additional stores, a large market, and several second-hand clothes shops.

Climate
Although it is very near the equator, the high altitude (1,550 metres or 5,100 feet above sea level) allows for pleasant temperatures year-round, tropical flora, and few mosquitoes. Many people say that it reminds them of “perpetual spring!”

Food
The on-centre store has a surprisingly wide selection of food, with orders arriving periodically from Australia and the United States. Near the store is a Kai Bar (a fast-food option) that is open for lunch five days per week and offers roasted chicken, chips (French fries), meat pies, sausage rolls, ice cream, drinks, and other items. Twice per week from 6-8AM, valley residents sell fresh fruits and vegetables - as well as handcrafts - at an on-centre market.