Previously, the 26 families had been evicted to make way for the widening of the Sentani-Jayapura highway.
"Our homes were demolished to make way for the road construction," said Ronald Kaigere, 79, who was one of the recipients of the new homes.
The houses were built by 27 forestry entrepreneurs from Papua chapters of the Association of Indonesian Forest Concessionaires (APHI) and the Indonesian Sawmill Woodworking Association (ISWA) who used corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds in cooperation with the Papua Forestry and Conservation Agency and the Jayapura regency administration.
One 45-square-meter house cost Rp 200 million (US$17,644) to build. The total investment needed to build all the houses amounted to Rp 5 billion, which also included land acquisition costs, and the installation of electricity and tap water.
Each house also comes equipped with a free floating fish cage and fish fries.
In the village, the Papua Forestry and Conservation Agency plans to build a facility in the Cyclops Mountains to serve as a source of clean water for residents in Jayapura regency and Jayapura city as well as a Lake Sentani preservation program.
Lukas expressed his hope that the private sector in Papua would follow the example set by APHI and ISWA in providing direct attention to the people of Papua.
"It is ironic that the people of Papua, which is so rich in natural resources, remain so poor and live in uninhabitable homes," said Lukas.
The houses, added Lukas, would serve as the models for the construction of 13,000 healthy homes for native Papuans in regencies and municipalities across the province.
ISWA head Daniel Gerden said Asei Kecil village on Lake Sentani was chosen as the location for the construction of the houses because the Sentani-Jayapura highway, which runs along the shore of the lake, was so significant to the province. All visitors to Papua travel on the highway, so the area needs to be well-developed.
"That's why we chose to build the free and healthy homes on the lake. Moreover, the previous dwellings were unfit for habitation," Gerden said.