Built in 2026
Chicken layer house
Built with the village during the summer 2026 visit, creating a source of income for the center.
Locally led. Faith rooted. Lives restored.
Bridging Gap
The only place in Papua New Guinea where addiction meets a way out.
Run by Peter and Freda Kaman in Kugark Village. Residents get a year of faith-based recovery. Their children get a school. Families get a future.
Kugark Village community & the 2026 US team · Jiwaka Province
Talk with us · Apinun!
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Only
drug & alcohol treatment center in PNG
12
residents supported for a full year
$44,000
the goal for the whole 2027 program
100%
of gifts go to the center. No US salaries.
Roots in the village
Seventy years ago this village opened its door.
It still does.
The Kaman family were among the first in their area to follow Jesus. In 1955, their tribe and clan gave land to the first missionaries to build a church.
For years, Peter and Freda mentored people in their community who were fighting drugs and alcohol. That work grew into Bridging Gap Association: a place to find recovery, discipleship, and a new way of life.
An anonymous donor provided a 12-bed facility. Curtis and Heather started the US nonprofit to close the funding gap—not to replace the people already doing the work.
Meet the people behind the mission1955
A village opens its door
The Kaman family’s tribe and clan give land for the village’s first church.
Years of groundwork
Recovery begins with relationship
Peter and Freda mentor people in their community who are struggling with drugs and alcohol.
The center opens
A place for a new beginning
An anonymous donor provides a 12-bed facility. Bridging Gap Association partners with Adult & Teen Challenge.
Summer 2026
Working side by side
A US team serves in Kugark Village. Plans change: together with the village, they build a chicken layer house to generate income.
2026
A bridge of support
Curtis and Heather form a Tennessee nonprofit to raise steady support for the locally led ministry.
Kugark Village · Jiwaka Province
A long way
from anywhere.
Beyond the flights and mountain roads, there is a village where recovery is built on relationship. Papua New Guinea has more than 800 languages. Here, people speak Tok Pisin and a local language; Kawandah bridges cultures, translating line by line.
The wantok system—loyalty to your people and language group—shapes everyday life. Lasting recovery has to belong to this place, not be imported from somewhere else.
The 2027 goal
One year. Twelve lives.
One budget.
$44,000for a full year
A year of treatment for 12 residents. A school for their children. Teacher support, recovery resources, and the everyday care that keeps the doors open.
Support the 2027 goal12 people. 12 months. A new beginning.
Behind every number is a person.
Behind every person, a family.
Steady monthly partners make a full year of care possible. One-time gifts help carry the same mission forward.
100% to the center · No US salaries
Beyond the yearly budget
After the yearly budget,
these come next.
Next priority
Perimeter fence
A secure boundary to protect the treatment center, school, residents, and property.
Next priority
Security cameras
A security system and cameras to help keep the property and community safe.
Future project
Staff housing
On-site accommodation for counselors, staff, and volunteers serving in this remote community.
Future project
Connection to the world
Starlink connectivity for conversations with Peter and Freda and updates directly from the village.
The long view
One village first.
Then the whole country.
01
Kugark Village
A fully funded center, its own income, and local leaders equipped to serve.
02
Nearby villages
Repeat the model, led by people who found recovery here and can help others find it too.
03
Papua New Guinea
Treatment centers across the country, bringing recovery, hope, and restoration to families and communities.
There is a place for you here
Steady support keeps the doors open.
Become a partner
Recurring gifts are the foundation of the yearly budget. Any amount helps keep care consistent.
Fund a project
Help protect the property or support the next step: fencing, cameras, staff housing, and connectivity.
Send Curtis back
A planned 30–45 day return to run Journey to Freedom groups, work through the 12 Steps, and train local leaders.
Host a vision night
Bring your church, friends, or community together to hear the story and become part of it.
Pray for Kugark Village
For residents, their families, schoolchildren, and Peter and Freda as they carry the work forward.
Give your time
Help connect people to the mission, organize support, or explore volunteering.
Every dollar goes directly to the treatment center in Papua New Guinea. No one in the United States is paid by this ministry. Funds are sent by bank wire. Our 501(c)(3) application is in progress; we will update this page when gifts are officially tax-deductible.
Why we serve
From behind a dumpster to Papua New Guinea.
Curtis knows what it is to have no way forward. Recovery gave him a family, a future, and a conviction: everyone deserves the same chance.
“Your worst chapter does not have to be your final chapter.”
Curtis Cathcart · US co-founder
Read Curtis’s storyFrom the mission
A story of addiction.
A life of freedom.
Hear the story behind the work and the hope that carries it forward.
From the field
Stories & updates
The people behind the work
Run by the village.
Backed from the US.
Peter & Freda Kaman
Directors · Papua New Guinea
The local leaders who began the ministry and continue to guide the treatment center and school.
Curtis & Heather Cathcart
Co-founders · United States
Raising steady support, organizing trips, and volunteering alongside the team on the ground.
Kawandah
Advisor & cultural bridge
Connecting the US ministry with his home village, his parents’ work, and Highland culture.