Trukai names first female GM sales, marketing

Posted on The National

MAYBELLYN Fernandes, pictured, is the first female general manager sales and marketing for Trukai Industries has effective July 1.
Fernandes took over from Andrew Daubney who had been in the position for 10 years and whose coaching and mentoring supported her success.
Fernandes joined Trukai in July 2014 as the national marketing manager with over 15 years’ experience working in various leading fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) organisations in PNG.
She has contributed to the success of the Trukai and Roots brands over the past five years.
Trukai chief executive officer Greg Worthington-Eyre said: “Maybellyn’s appointment is also significant in that it brings to Trukai’s senior management team a highly competent Papua New Guinean, who will add significant value to our business, cultural and workplace agendas.”
The mother of two says her biggest inspiration in life comes is her family.
Growing up, she watched her parents work tirelessly as entrepreneurs to provide for their immediate and extended families and the local community.
They instilled in her the importance of hard work, sacrifice, service, integrity, family and prayer.
“My family has been my inspiration and strength throughout my life,” Fernandes said.
“I am blessed with an extremely supportive partner; our two girls are the reason I wake up each morning determined to become and to do better than yesterday.
“I am blessed in that I really love the work that I do for an organisation that is committed to its people and the community.
“Every day I walk into the office knowing that whatever I do today, big or small and how well I do it, will directly or indirectly have an impact on the lives of so many people and communities across PNG. It’s very motivating.”
Fernandes said Papua New Guineans need to have self-belief and confidence in their abilities and to support and challenge each other to build the right environment, attitude and behaviours that would help them grow and develop in an increasingly competitive global community.
Trukai Industries has 11 distribution centres across the country with more than 230 staff in their sales and marketing department alone.

Go to this link for more: https://www.thenational.com.pg/trukai-names-first-female-gm-sales-marketing/

YOUNG LAWYER APPOINTED DIRECTOR OF MIBANK

Posted by Skerah PNG

The CEO of MiBank, Tony Westaway, today announced the Board decision to appoint Miss Wavie Kendino as a Director of MiBank.

Miss Kendino is a Senior Associate with Dentons based in their Port Moresby Office.

Wavie has a broad range of finance, corporate and commercial law experience and has assisted in advising financial institutions, the PNG government, central bank, state owned enterprises, corporates and NGOs on arange of transactions, projects and matters.

She is listed in the Chambers-Asia Pacific, 2019 legal rankings as an “Associate to Watch” and mentioned in the Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2019 Guide.

In welcoming the new Board appointment, the CEO said Miss Kendino will strengthen the Boards skills sets in addressing the critical areas of Legal Risk and Compliance.

MiBank provides services to more than 200,000 registered customers with 12 branches and more than 100 MiCash Mobile Money Agents throughout PNG.

The Micro Bank is 100% Papua New Guinea owned and its target market comprises those citizens at the bottom of the economic pyramid.

Miss Kendino will join fellow Directors to the MiBank Board who include Allan Marlin (Chairman), Dame Carol Kidu, Jason Mcilvena and Paul Nindipa.

Pic Credit : Lily & Denton

Go to this link for more: https://skerah.com/business/young-lawyer-appointed-director-of-mibank/?fbclid=IwAR14P99teSfzCdHF8IWCHMDsLMz_0ICn7jSh3e0fW6xG-YtDG74aCmQdjKs

CPL training focuses on developing young Papua New Guineans

Posted on The National

CITY Pharmacy Ltd (CPL) Group has started the “Trainee directors programme” aimed at developing young aspiring Papua New Guineans.
In its first year, CPL group has appointed two staff – Eunice Parua, pictured, and Roberta Morlin as their trainee directors.
CPL has always been at the forefront of women empowerment in Papua New Guinea.
Whether it was the Pride of PNG Women’s Awards or the PNG Cricket Lewas women’s national team, CPL has over the last 30-years, been involved in women’s development and support programmes.
Each chosen trainee director would be allocated a current CPL director as mentor for a year.
Trainee directors will participate in board and audit committee meetings but would not vote on any board resolution.
They are able to observe first hand, processes, procedures and learn the mechanics of being a director at the coalface.
At the end of the period, a certificate would be issued certifying that they had served as a trainee on the CPL board.
Parua, 29, is from Western Highlands.
She is a lawyer by profession who has been in private legal practice since February 2013.
She practices as a litigation lawyer and had appeared on numerous occasions in the district, national and supreme courts.
Parua specialises in commercial, contract, tort, family and other civil areas of law.
While 29-year-old Morlin is the head of the Digital Strategic Business Unit at Bank South Pacific Ltd.
With a passion in artificial intelligence (AI), Morlin continues to develop her skills in AI and data
science while gaining practical digital experience in the financial industry.
In 2016, she participated in an entrepreneurship training programme at Draper University in Silicon Valley, California, US, where she developed a passion for high end technology and date driven industries. Morlin possess a bachelor’s of arts, PNG Studies and International relations from Divine Word University.
Graduated with excellence, she received an academic research award for a submitted dissertation on “Cyber security and PNG’s national state security” in 2012.
With a passion for market research in 2014, she had the opportunity to country manage market research projects in PNG and the Solomon Islands for a period with Tebbutt Research, Market Research Consultants.

Go to this link for more: https://www.thenational.com.pg/cpl-training-focuses-on-developing-young-papua-new-guineans/?fbclid=IwAR3Lg8WXbHhulv2Lhl0ZdmDMhlFL4dL6tLfrI0HobX8XAT-_lpd3iSUHrxs

PNG after the elections: reimagining the future by reflecting on the past

By Fiona Hukula - DevPloicy Blog

I would like to share some thoughts on PNG after the elections. My reflections are based on nearly twenty years’ experience as a researcher. It has been a little over a week since PNG’s 10th National Parliament convened. The last three months has been a busy time for election officials, media and security personnel. In some places elections have been relatively peaceful. People voted and life carried on, but in other parts of the country, violence and the unnecessary and unfortunate loss of lives has marred these elections. My observation of media reports and preliminary findings from research into women and elections in Morobe by my colleagues Mary Fairio and Sarah Kaut-Nasengom reveals that flawed electoral rolls have led to great disappointment for many people who have not been able to cast their vote.

On the international agenda, APEC 2018 is a key event that will help shape Papua New Guinea’s future. At the national level, the Bougainville referendum will be an important event for PNG as the outcome of the referendum will not only dictate the political future of Bougainville and PNG but it will also set a precedent for those provinces advocating autonomy.

Women leaders

Unfortunately for the next five years, we shall not be seeing any women on the floor of parliament. In her inaugural address, the United States Ambassador Ms Catherine Ebert-Grey stated that the fact that we have no women in parliament should be of grave concern. While this is a depressing outcome of the elections it also clearly indicates the need to reassess and re-strategise how we think about this issue.

I think we need to look at the bigger picture. In analysing the performance of some of the women who came in the top three places for certain seats, we can see that women are receiving votes. For example, Delilah Gore led in the first preference votes and the second preference votes. She lost by just over 200 votes in the final count.

In terms of reflecting on how to get women into parliament, the experiences of female candidates are crucial, as are the experiences of former female parliamentarians. While we may not have women in parliament now, we do know from experience that women can be voted into parliament – this has happened on more than one occasion. For example, Mrs Nahau Rooney, Dame Josephine Abaijah and Dame Carol Kidu were all elected into parliament more than once, so we know from the past that we can elect women into parliament; it is getting women into parliament at every election that is the challenge.

We also know that women are leaders in their communities. In my experience of researching both in urban and rural communities, everywhere I have worked, women leaders always turn up when research meetings are organised and they articulate their concerns clearly. The leadership capabilities of women at the local level is evident as we know from the last local level government elections where forty-five women were voted into local government, with a couple as Town Mayors.

As Papua New Guineans, we need to ask ourselves the hard questions such as, should we be talking about getting women into parliament in terms of gender equality and participation or should we be talking about what makes a good leader? Also, when we talk about getting women into parliament, are we using the right language when addressing different audiences?

Getting women into parliament is not only about discussing these issues in forums such as the PNG Update, but in my view it is also about trying our best to understand the ways in which our people think about gender. I make this comment because often this issue is viewed as a western agenda, maybe because we use words and definitions that are not familiar to the majority of our people. But if we look back to the Constitutional Planning Committee (CPC) report of 1974 we see that this was something that our leaders clearly thought about. If we take off the western gender lens that we often use to have these discussions and start to unpack gender relations in a way that allows us to see the worldview of our people, we will start to map a way forward that is inclusive of everyone.

Development

A lot of the debate around having women in parliament is hinged on the idea of gender equality and equal participation in the development of this country. We use this word ‘development’ but what does it mean to different communities? For some it means access to good roads so they can sell their cocoa and coffee and access health care. For others, it may mean access to clean water and sanitation, for some it may mean four-lane highways and a mall. This one word can trigger discussions about all kinds of things and the ways that we imagine development and our future.

As a nation, we have created some great plans and launched many policies and programs in different sectors with the future in mind and with development in mind. Many of our plans and strategies are anchored in the National Goals and Directive Principles. But how many of us know the National Goals and Directive Principles? I must admit that I am not that well versed with the National Goals and Directive Principles but sometimes when I read things about how we treat each other as Papua New Guineans or how different people imagine their future and especially when I see the growing inequalities between our people I go back and try to acquaint myself better with the National Goals and Directive Principles.

I also like to – every now and then – read bits and pieces of the CPC report just to remind myself of what the members of the CPC imagined our future to be. As a researcher whose work is now mostly in the urban sphere, there are two statements from the CPC that I often read. I will only read the first part here of paragraph 116:

We see the darkness of neon lights, we see the despair and loneliness in urban cities. We see the alienation from man that is the result of the present machine oriented economy. We see true social security and man’s happiness being diminished in the name of economic progress.

When I read this, I can see that the future was predicted accurately, but then two paragraphs later the CPC report states:

Our ways emphasise community. We exercise our rights in the context of our obligations to our community.

This sentence alone gives me some sense of hope because yes in the urban context we are now seeing increased poverty in our cities but also in my experience of growing up in this city, of living in an urban settlement as part of my PhD, and of my more recent research with urban village courts, I can see that we still hold firm many of these traits which we call our Papua New Guinean ways.

In the urban setting, we exercise these ideals by doing kinship through our street, church, sporting and work communities and it is through this sense of belonging that we need to start to address the many social issues that we face as a nation, including our high rates of violence, gender based violence (not just domestic violence but sorcery related accusation violence which many of our people suffer from) and child abuse. For when we start to harness the positive things about who we are – as people from different provinces and regions – we will build a better future for our children and their children.

Finally, my call today to you as my fellow academics, policy makers and students is to start to decolonise the way we think about development, let’s strive to understand our people better instead of resorting to calling ourselves uncivilised and uneducated when our people fail to understand concepts and words that are not in their vernacular. Instead let’s build on our strengths and work towards localising global concepts such as the SDGs, so that we can meet our international commitments, but also so that we can see the change that we want to see in our country.

Dr Fiona Hukula is Program Leader of the Building Safer Communities at the PNG National Research Institute. She also oversees the Gender in PNG research program at NRI with her colleague Dr Elizabeth Kopel. This post is adapted from her keynote presentation at the 2017 PNG Update.

Go to this link for more: http://www.devpolicy.org/png-elections-reimagining-future-reflecting-past-20170818/

Plea to further extend Bougainville enrolment

Posted by Radio New Zealand

The women's MP for Bougainville North, Franseca Semoso, says enrolling to vote for the October vote on independence from Papua New Guinea must be extended beyond this Sunday.

Local newspapers have reported the Bougainville Referendum Commission having already extended the enrolment period until Sunday, but Ms Semoso says many people, even in the region's main town of Buka, have not had a chance to enrol.

She said they must be given more opportunities.

Ms Semoso said, at a minimum, the enrolment period should be extended for another two weeks.

Go to this link for more: https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/392542/plea-to-further-extend-bougainville-enrolment

Registry reaches millionth person registering for NID

Posted by The National

THE office of the PNG Civil and Identity Registry (PNGCIR) yesterday announced the millionth person who registered and offered her a gift and a plaque to mark the magical figure.
Lucy Paipmari Felihau, 18, became the millionth registrant on May 23.
She is a student at a university in the Philippines.
Deputy registrar-general Salome Bogosia said yesterday marked an important day in the history of NID registrations.
She said the government had mandated her office to carry out the important function of registering people for identification and statistics.
“It has been challenging to come this far to reach over a million registrations,” Bogosia said.
“We’ve learnt a lot since the project was initiated in 2015 and we are proud to say that as of May 23, we have achieved that.”
Felihau registered twice in the PNGCIR system, before and after she turned 18.
The printer at the registry broke down sometime back and no cards were printed for about seven months.
Bogosia said the initial process of birth registration was to register births and after turning 18, they registered their national identity (NID) which captured the biometrics.
“Due to the backlog of registrations, both NID and births were being registered as single,” she said.
“We hope that by the end of the year we can make another announcement.
“We hope to complete registering by 2021.
“NID is here to stay so people of PNG, if you are not registered, please come forward and register yourselves and your families.”
Felihau was surprised she became the millionth person to register.
“I really needed my NID card because it was a requirement for my registration at school and I thank PNGCIR staff and management for helping me,” she said.
Felihau is studying for a Bachelor of Science in nursing.

Go to this link for more: https://www.thenational.com.pg/registry-reaches-millionth-person-registering-for-nid/

30,000 TB cases a year makes PNG a regional health issue

Lady Roslyn Morauta - "8.5 million people face very serious development and public health challenges"

ROSLYN MORAUTA | The Mandarin

PORT MORESBY - Investing in health is one of the best ways to build a better future. Healthy societies are more stable and equal and have stronger and more productive economies.

In today’s increasingly interconnected world, improving public health is a global common good.

Because microbes do not stop at borders, an infectious disease threat in any corner of the world can be a threat everywhere. No one is safe until everyone is safe.

Take the example of Papua New Guinea, where I have lived and worked for many years.

Since the turn of the century, there has been significant progress in the fight against HIV and malaria in PNG.

Investments by international donors and partnerships with faith-based organisations and other civil society groups have reduced the number of malaria cases and deaths through national mosquito net distribution campaigns.

The country has also made big strides against HIV by making lifesaving treatment available to thousands of HIV-positive people.

The achievements are impressive if you think of them in the context of PNG, a country with over 800 languages and cultures, high illiteracy rates, very few roads and far-flung rural communities.

However, PNG’s 8.5 million people continue to face very serious development and public health challenges.

We have the highest malaria burden in the world outside Africa, with the entire population at risk, affecting primarily pregnant women and children under five.

We also have the highest number of new tuberculosis cases in the Pacific Island region – around 30,000 new cases each year, with TB now the leading cause of death in PNG.

We have alarming rates of drug-resistant TB, a more aggressive form that does not respond to existing medications, resulting in fewer treatment options and increasing mortality rates for illnesses that would ordinarily be curable – including TB.

With PNG only four kilometers from Australia at its nearest point, failure to address TB or an outbreak of any infectious disease is a threat to the health and economic security of my native Australia.

TB is airborne and highly contagious, so a raging TB epidemic could easily destabilise the Asia Pacific region. One weak link can affect everyone.

Such health challenges are not unique to our region. Globally, 10 million people fell ill with TB in 2017, making TB the world’s deadliest infectious disease.

Drug-resistant TB is part of a growing global problem posing a potentially catastrophic risk to global health security. In 2017, there were approximately 558,000 cases of drug-resistant TB.

While causing tragic deaths and suffering, infectious diseases can also damage economic growth.

The Economist Intelligence Unit predicted recently that drug-resistant TB will cost the global economy approximately US$17 trillion by 2050 if the problem is not addressed.

Addressing these regional and global health challenges requires partnership.

After years of remarkable progress in the fight against HIV, TB and malaria, new threats have pushed the world off track from meeting the Sustainable Development Goal target of ending the epidemics by 2030.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has played a vital role in global health, supporting programs to save millions of lives and investing US$366 million in 14 island countries in the Pacific region, supporting strong efforts by Australia’s bilateral investments to build resilient and sustainable systems for health.

The Global Fund model increases accountability and shared responsibility and helps countries on their road to self-reliance by fostering domestic investments in health.

I have witnessed first-hand the transformation that investments by the Global Fund partnership have brought in Papua New Guinea.

But we need to keep working hard.

Papua New Guinea’s health system is very weak.

We also need to continue investing and working with our partners to address the high rates of gender-based violence and promote gender equality.

Just a few months from now, the Global Fund will hold its next replenishment conference, with the goal of raising at least US$14 billion for the next three years.

The Global Fund is calling on the world to step up the fight to maintain the progress that has been achieved through partnership, innovation and effective interventions and to end the three diseases by 2030.

Australia is a longstanding partner of the Global Fund and has invested heavily in fighting diseases and in supporting countries in the Indo-Pacific region to prepare for emerging health threats.

This week, when Sydney hosts the first International Global Health Security Conference, it will be a great opportunity to stress how we all need global health security, and share responsibility.

Our global health security is only as strong as our weakest link.

Lady Roslyn Morauta, vice-chair of the Board of the Global Fund, is visiting Australia to attend the International Global Health Security Conference

Go to this link fo more: https://asopa.typepad.com/asopa_people/2019/06/30000-tb-cases-a-year-makes-png-a-regional-health-issue.html

Blacklock tells how to make power cheaper

By HELEN TARAWA - The National

PNG Power Limited acting managing director Carolyn Blacklock says cheap power, whether from gas or water (hydro), can reduce tariff if there are new power stations set up.
In response to Prime Minister James Marape’s call for reduced electricity costs, Blacklock told The National that bringing down the cost of electricity was possible if PNG Power adhered strictly to rehabilitating existing hydropower.
She also pointed out that phasing out imported diesel and heavy fuel would allow domestic sources of energy, including hydropower and gas, would contribute to reducing cost of electricity.
Blacklock said if PNG Power entered into long-term contracts tao buy power from independent power producers (IPP) it will continue to struggle financially and unable to pass on savings to its customers.
“We are also working hard to help our soon-to-be customers afford power by supporting the industrialisation of our country,” she said.
“Providing low-cost, reliable power to industry helps position PNG as investment-friendly to local and international businesses.
“It in turn helps Papua New Guinea compete as a destination for new and expanded businesses creating new opportunities for jobs and small businesses.”
She said reducing tariff helped “but we also need to grow household income through jobs and small businesses such as agriculture”.
“We are hopeful widespread electrification will lead to electric pumps that will allow farmers to lift and store water to enable high-quality crops that are drought-proof for instance,” Blacklock said.
Blacklock said she was committed when she started to restore confidence in PNG Power by establishing reliability.
She said there were constant blackouts with seven isolated centres experiencing weeks of no power.
“We had to stabilise operations and improve our financial situation,” Blacklock said.
“Secondly, I promised to increase access to electricity which is very low to less than 15 per cent.”
“Last year we connected 18,000 new households (up from 3000 in 2017) and we raised around US$1.2 million (about K4mil) under the Papua New Guinea electrification partnership.”

Go to this link for more: https://www.thenational.com.pg/blacklock-tells-how-to-make-power-cheaper/?fbclid=IwAR26h7pL6xqP5QeZbXETOVmVznF_vkxaetL0WDMc1B8QYP8uRhWxHZVNaBE

Pacific nations look at options in new EU agreement

Posted on Radio New Zealand

The Pacific Islands Forum says the region's Blue Pacific voice will be at the forefront of talks underway in Suva on the ACP negotiations with the European Union.

Representatives from 13 Pacific states are holding a two day regional workshop as they prepare to replace the current arrangement, the Cotonou Agreement.

There are 79 African, Caribbean and Pacific nations, that are beneficiaries under the ACP-EU agreement made with the 28 EU members.

The deal to replace Cotonou will be signed in Samoa in 2020.

The Forum head office is hosting the workshop and Secretary General, Dame Meg Taylor, said at the forefront of their minds are the principles and objectives of the Framework for Pacific Regionalism, with Pacific leaders wanting to see their Blue Pacific future determined by their own priorities.

She said the Pacific wants development to be more effective, more co-ordinated and to make a real difference to the people of the region.

Go to this link for more: https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/392058/pacific-nations-look-at-options-in-new-eu-agreement

Combating gender-based violence must be a government priority

FIONA HUKULA | National Research Institute | Edited

PORT MORESBY - In his maiden speech as prime minister, James Marape, stated that Papua New Guinea’s economy will be the key priority for his government.

Mr Marape also reiterated the need to maximise local benefits from the extraction of the country’s natural resources.

It is important to note that a strong and resilient economy will have a positive impact on men, women and children.

However, a prosperous, secure and equitable society requires continued and concerted effort in addressing fundamental problems that affects women and children. Gender-based violence is a key issue which requires continued government attention.

All forms of violence against women and children such as rape, sexual assault and violence related to sorcery accusation affects individuals, families and communities.

Violence against women affects their mental and physical health; and their mobility and productivity.

In the case of children, violence in the home affects their education and general well-being.

Significant progress has been made in terms of instituting a response and raising awareness about violence against women, however there is still much to be done.

The National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence 2016-2025 was endorsed in December 2016 by the cabinet that now prime minister Marape was part of.

But to date the National Gender-Based Violence Secretariat has not been set up.

At present the Family and Sexual Violence Action Committee (FSVAC) continues to champion the work in addressing family and sexual violence and gender-based violence.

A number of provinces have taken the initiative to address family and sexual violence and wider gender-based violence issues through provincial Family and Sexual Violence Action Committees.

Sorcery accusation-related violence continues to be an ongoing problem in certain provinces.

The national action plan to address sorcery accusation and related violence was endorsed in 2015 and the Department of Justice and Attorney General and the FSVAC provides leadership in rolling out the plan to selected provinces.

Better coordination and assistance for survivors of sorcery accusation and related violence is needed as it can lead to extreme forms of violence, displacement, stigma and social isolation.

Key target areas for attention include:

Government ownership of the gender-based violence agenda through high level coordination at the national level.

Adequate allocation of resources and increased support for referral pathways.

A holistic approach towards addressing the needs of survivors, perpetrators and their families.

Gender-based violence will continue to be a major social problem in PNG and it is incumbent that the present government continues to support the strengthening of the referral pathways so that survivors can access timely medical, social and legal care.

While there needs to be more research into the area of perpetrator programs, it is becoming evident that this is a gap in the provision of gender-based violence services available in the country.

A holistic, locally owned and driven response to gender-based violence will hopefully see more perpetrators being held to account for their behaviour and a decrease in violence against women and children in PNG.

Dr Fiona Hukula is Building Safer Communities Program Leader at the PNG National Research Institute

Go to this link for more: https://asopa.typepad.com/asopa_people/2019/06/combating-gender-based-violence-must-be-a-govt-priority.html

Department head urges officers to implement plans

Posted on The National

FOREIGN Affairs secretary Barbara Age urged officers from her department to implement the plans and programmes in the corporate plan 2018-2023.
Speaking on behalf of former minister Rimbink Pato at the launching of the plan on Friday, Age said it was an important task.
“I consider this as a very important outcome product and I thank the minister and all those involved in putting together the documents in close collaboration with all stakeholders, including key government agencies and the private sector.
“Our next task is to implement the plans and programmes for action from today until the end of 2023 and ask ourselves what positive difference we can make in promoting our foreign policy.”
Age said the launching of the corporate plan 2018-23 at this time of the year marked yet another excellent outcome by the department in implementing a decision by the government on the foreign policy review report 2017.
She said guided by the experiences from the first corporate plan, and supported by the required level of financial resources provided by the national government through the annual budgetary processes, she was convinced that with the monetary resources support the department would give priority to effectively manage the institutions and human resources both at headquarters and abroad.
“In doing so, we will be able to realise the outcomes on the plans and programmes as well advance PNG’s interest abroad. More so we must commence and where progress, work on some of these important policies and institutional development-related programmes for action under the corporate plan.”
Age said the theme of the corporate plan and programmes for action PNG connecting for peace and prosperity in a changing world was very strategic.
“It clearly signals the internal commitment by our government to advance cooperation arrangements we have with all our global partners, both bilaterally and multilaterally.
“I am convinced and expect the department to give priority to action many of these plans and programmes in the strategic objective relating to institutional strengthening, modernisation and operational process is imperative.
“I encourage the department to actively pursue arrangements to improve the welfare of the Foreign Service officers and their families on housing needs.”
The event was attended by heads of departments and government agencies including, Agriculture and Livestock, Labour and Industrial Relations, Provincial Affairs, Health, Education, Science, research and technology, Defence, Department of Personnel Management and Religion, Youth and Community Development

Go to this link for more: https://www.thenational.com.pg/department-head-urges-officers-to-implement-plans/

Ruth, First Papua New Guinean Woman To Own Planes

PNG aviation’s first woman owner

Among many women entrepreneurs from around the Pacific and Papua New Guinea, Ruth Undi is one among them. Emerging from the rich area of Ialibu in the Southern Highlands.
42 year old Ruth, commonly known as “grassroots” mother is the frist Papua New Guinean woman to own and operate an aviation company, Niugini Aviation, which has fleet of three planes.
Despite having no aviation background, brave Ruth bought her first plane in 2011 because she saw the need to service the remote areas not accessible by road. She bought her frist plane, 206 seater aircraft from the Seventh Day Adventist Church. The plane was used to transport medical supplies to remote areas. Mining companies also hire the plane for private charters.
As the demand grew she went ahead to approached New Zealand and bought two more air craft. The mother of four doesn’t want to be branded as a trailblazer for women in the aviation industry. She said “she is not there yet.”

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Ruth attributes her success to a supporting husband and employees. “When you employ the right people and properly compensate them, they will perform to the best of their ability. My husband has always been there for me when I was taking the risks, she said.
Ruth has bigger plans for the future – one of which is the upgrade of her fleet to 19-seater Twin Otters to service other parts of PNG. This will mean the upgrade of the airline’s operating license.
Ruth also owns a construction company, Kana Construction, in Port Moresby, while her husband Ron operates an insurance company.
Ruth committed K1 million as seed capital to Ialibu-Pangia Mama Halipim Mama Financial Services to help them venture into agriculture and start-up small business to sustain their livelihood.
Rarely will you find people like Ruth, who generously gives back something worth K1 million back to the community. As a woman growing up in the village and seeing the struggles and hardships of her mother and other women faced in the community, she was inspired to contribute something profitable back to her people.
Her Husband Roxon Undi and her family and relatives were shocked to hear her K1 million contribution to the Mama Halipim Mama Financial Services.
“For me, the sky is the limit. I will tell my story once I have achieved everything that I have dreamt,” Ruth said.

Go to this link for more: https://www.pngfacts.com/news/ruth-first-papua-new-guinean-woman-to-own-planes 

Anne Nealibo Dickson-Waiko – pioneering gender academic

Dr Anne Nealibo Dickson-Waiko

CATHY KEIMELO | Gender in PNG Research Program

PORT MORESBY – As a teacher, advocate, mentor and silent achiever, the late Dr Anne Nealibo Dickson-Waiko (1950-2018) will be remembered for her contributions to the advancement of women in Papua New Guinea.

Hailing from Wagawaga in the Milne Bay Province, Anne was born on 15 May 1950, the fourth child of five children to Osineru and Doreen Dickson.

From humble beginnings as a six-year-old school girl at Kwato Mission, Anne continued at Port Moresby High School and later attained a Diploma in Secondary Teaching at Goroka Teachers College.

From 1971 to 1973 she taught at Kilakila High School, during this time marrying John Kaniku, also a teacher, and had two sons.

Juggling motherhood and work, in 1974 Anne joined the University of Papua New Guinea as a professional assistant in social science at the Teaching Methods Centre. Concurrently, she studied part time for a Bachelor of Arts, graduating with first class honours.

From 1978 to 1981, Anne undertook further study in the USA but, with the joy of having a third son came sadness, tragedy struck and she lost her first-born son. These years in the USA were difficult for Anne and her family but she completed her Masters in Political Science at the University of Mississippi in 1981.

In 1986, she had a daughter with John Kaniku but their marriage dissolved soon after. By 1987, Anne was undertaking PhD studies at the Australian National University in Canberra and was awarded her doctorate in 1993.

During this time, she remarried Professor John Waiko and had another son in Canberra. As Professor Waiko was based in Port Moresby, she left her young son with him while she completed field work in the Philippines.

Anne was a dedicated academic and worked extremely hard until she fell ill in September 2018. UPNG’s Professor Peter Yearwood described her as a valuable and dedicated lecturer. As a student at UPNG, I enjoyed her classes on PNG gender issues, colonialism and nation building, and South East Asian history.

As an academic, researcher and advocate for gender equality in PNG, she focused much on history and gender studies. UPNG recognised her as an internationally significant scholar who between 2005-2015 wrote seven articles or chapters in refereed journals and books.

Anne was also a consultant, advisor and facilitator for a number of gender related projects which she engaged in with government, non-government and international organisations and donors. Her most significant contribution to women’s improvement in PNG was her involvement in the Review of the Organic Law on Provincial and Local Level government led by Ben Micah in 1995 with other women academics and leaders.

Her involvement looked at incorporating women’s representation in both the provincial and local level government particularly in having nominated seats for women. This was approved by the national parliament and made effective in 1997.

It was a turning point for women in politics as it allowed women to participate and be heard at the provincial and local levels of government. I hope that this revelation will be made known to many PNG girls and women so that we are grateful for women who paved the way for our voices to be heard.

Remarkably, Anne spent 45 years at UPNG, most of her career, and over the years she imparted her knowledge to contributing to the development of PNG, particularly to the female population. In 2016, Anne, pioneered PNG’s first gender studies program and was commissioned by the National Research Institute to carry out a scoping study which informed the research themes of the gender program.

A colleague described Anne as a passionate woman who supported gender equality through her work, teaching and research.

You dedicated your life to improve the lives of the masses.
Sacrifices made, and hurdles jumped. 
Yet strived to put a smile on another’s face.
With a humble heart and a sweet smile, you still persevered. 
Gratitude is all that can be offered at this time 
But your legacy will remain. 
Smile and know that it will get better.

The Gender in PNG Research of the PNG National Research Institute program acknowledges Ms Marjorie Andrew for allowing us to use the late Dr Anne Dickson-Waiko’s eulogy in writing this tribute and Associate Professor Peter Yearwood, Head of the History, Gender Studies and Philosophy Strand, for the short tribute you sent to be included in this obituary

Go to this link for more: https://asopa.typepad.com/asopa_people/2019/03/anne-nealibo-dickson-waiko-pioneering-gender-academic.html

Meet the 2019 SP Brewery Entrepreneur Award winner

Posted on Post Courier

A grade 10 school leaver who is also a big dreamer and does not give up easily, Vani K Nades, has taken the extra mile to make her dream a reality.
Vani’s story is one of perseverance and her journey is an inspiration to Papua New Guinean women.
Being educated in the village and falling short in her grade 10 marks did not deter Vani’s fighting spirit to succeed in life.
Vani worked hard, broke barriers and earned herself an international degree from Australia’s Southern Cross University.
Vani has led more than 100 employees with 12 managers of different business units during her time with one of the best institutions, now a university – the Institute of Business Studies. The institute focuses on giving a second chance to school leavers, creating competency training for corporate clients and youth empowerment programs.
Vani, an emerging female leader, has already made a difference and significant contribution to the business community and the nation.
She left her full time job five years ago to start her own business, Emstret Holdings Limited. It is an internet service provider in PNG focusing on giving access to rural schools and communities.
In just five years of taking the bold step to become an entrepreneur, Vani achieved the following:
– Founder and chief executive officer of Emstret Holdings Limited;
– Founder of Voices and Villages Foundation Inc – a charity arm of Emstret Holdings focused on impacting the communities through education, health, agriculture, clean water and solar solutions;
– Owned rental properties;
– Initiated Emstret School Challenge program that involves debate, spelling bee and poetry that have been running for 10 years;
– Initiated Melanesian school debate championships since 2014;
– Created history in PNG by sponsoring PNG’s first debate team to participate in world championships in Croatia in 2018;
– Became a TedEd club member in 2018, focusing on children from eight to 18 years;
– Established Little CEO Pizza Company Limited; and
– About to launch Emstret Space – a co-working space for startup SME and community space.
Growing up in the rural village, Vani experienced firsthand daily struggles. She was determined to make a change.
Vani started her charity foundation and her projects in the Central Province in collaboration with donors and partners included:
– Education: Building classrooms, providing text books and library books, stationeries and donating solar lighting to schools;
– Water and sanitation projects that were recently completed for Magautou village;
– Health: Providing free medical services to villages like Kalo, Hula, Kamali and Kerema in Gulf province; and
– Supplying food to flood victims;
Vani’s continuous work in various programs and her contribution to nation building in PNG has gained her the following recognition and awards;
– Southern Cross University Australia Annual Entrepreneur Award, 2018;
– PNG LNG ExxonMobil MSME Digital Innovation Award, 2018 (ABAC MSME Summit);
– NASFUND People’s Choice Award, 2018 (ABAC MSME Summit);
– ZUMBA Fitness Instructor;
– Professional Certificate in Marketing, Chartered Institute of Marketing UK (2017);
– Bachelors Degree in Accounting, 2000 (Southern Cross University, Australia); and
– Board member of POM Chamber of Commerce and PNG Institute of Directors.
Having demonstrated good governance, accountability and transparency in her work, Vani was named as a finalist, in a pool of three, in the Westpac Outstanding Women (WOW) Award in the SP Brewery Entrepreneur category.
On Friday, March 8, 2019, winners of the WOW Awards were announced as part of the International Women’s Day celebrations at the Gateway Hotel in Port Moresby.
SP Brewery managing director, Stan Joyce, announced Vani Nades as the winner of the SP Brewery Entrepreneur award.
Thrilled with her award, Vani said: “It’s a great privilege to receive this award from SP Brewery because SP supports SMEs and entrepreneurs.
“To be recognised by SP Brewery will go a long way to help support my business. With the support and recognition from a big company like SP Brewery, my business is motivated to keep striving.”
She said the win has given her the drive to push her boundaries to look for solutions and make an impact in the community.
“It is my dream to make the internet accessible to everyone in the community,” she said.
Mr Joyce said: “It’s important for big companies like SP to support local SMEs as this helps grow PNG’s economy.”
Vani’s entrepreneurial spirit and innovative ideas are guided by her personal values and beliefs that govern her actions daily.
This has earned her respect and integrity in the business community and has paved way for her businesses to prosper.

Go to this link for more: https://postcourier.com.pg/meet-2019-sp-brewery-entrepreneur-award-winner/

Adelaide's old hospital equipment to benefit 24 countries in need

PHOTO: Furniture and medical equipment from the old Royal Adelaide Hospital will be shipped abroad. (ABC News: Sarah Hancock)
By Sarah Hancock – ABC News Adelaide

Dozens of shipping containers of surplus medical equipment from the old Royal Adelaide Hospital are now on their way to developing countries.

The supplies range from old beds and other furniture to life-saving medical devices, and are being donated to 24 countries, including Australia's near-neighbour Papua New Guinea.

Shila Paia, who was born there, has helped raise thousands of dollars to allow some of the equipment to be shipped to PNG from Adelaide.

PHOTO: Shila Paia says even simple medical supplies are luxuries to PNG health workers. (ABC News: Sarah Hancock)

"The access to services isn't there, the basic primary health care isn't there — women are deprived, they are dying giving birth and children are dying," she said of PNG's dire lack of health services.

"This is going to make a lot of difference. Simple things like syringes are going to make a lot of difference.

"[Sometimes] a mother could be taking her child for immunisation to a clinic and the child could miss out just because there is no syringe there."

Ms Paia said simple items could make a big difference.

PHOTO: PNG health care is often simple, such as this room where women give birth. (Supplied: Soil Child)

"Most of the time we take for granted a lot of things, even simple things like gloves for example, we take it for granted here [in Australia]," she said.

It will take six weeks for the containers destined for PNG to arrive there, and a team of doctors and nurses from Adelaide will help teach local health workers how to install and use some of the more complex machines.

Anaesthetist Yasmin Endlich is looking forward to her trip north.

“I want to be there when that container arrives. I want to be able to show the people how to set the equipment up and how to use it safely," she said.

"It's extremely hard to look at all this stuff that is coming out of the old Royal Adelaide Hospital, not knowing what it is and where it should go."

About 30 charity groups and hundreds of volunteers have worked hard to clear out thousands of items from the former hospital site in the Adelaide CBD.

Among other countries to benefit are Cambodia, Ghana, Kurdistan, Mongolia, Sierra Leone, Timor Leste and Uganda.

Go to this link for more: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-01/surplus-royal-adelaide-hospital-equipment-for-png/9385148