Indonesia has been authorized by the United Nations to take steps toward granting Irian Jaya its independence, however, the reluctance of the Indonesian government to do so has fed a growing independence movement among the Christian Imian Tehit people. The health needs of these isolated people and their hunger for self-determination create unique opportunities for Christian witness through health care and reconciliation. Fishing for a living involves a lot of hardship. The men fish at night and all day every day, except for Sunday and Tuesday. The women are in charge of discharging the days' catch, and they either smoke, salt, or place the fish in cold storage.
All members participate in mending the nets before the fishing boats set out.
The project has gradually increased employment for its members, helping them move from poverty to sustainability. Their catch has increased from six to eight tons of fish. With new fishing equipment the group has been able to deep-river fish and catch much larger fish. New methods of smoking fish allows them to preserve more fish, and the newly built cold storage unit stores more fish and avoids waste. The project has improved living conditions of the people.