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People make it work
Alekano Savings and Loan Society established in April 2005 is proving to be a saviour for many far and wide in a short span of time. JACK METTA reports

SCHOOL holidays are often the space of time in between busy school years to unwind, recharge and return to school a year older and a year wiser to tackle life's challenges in a hope of a better tomorrow, with confidence and enthusiasm.
For many, the challenges become harder as they advance and each break in between school offers, not the chance to unwind and recharge, but rather lengthy spells of anxiety triggered by hopelessness and sheer helplessness.
Each grade completed meant extras on top of the last level and their mere existence was not conducive to these rising cost of living ... of education, square meals and a whole range of other basic necessities.
They know deep down in their hearts that the challenges of tomorrow could be scaled but right now they would lacking that 'foothold' in the sheer cliff face of life to climb up that mountain of success.
Eighteen-year-old Maggie Buff spent anxious moments of her last school holidays in this predicament. Having just completed her Grade 10, Maggie was resigned to the conclusion that this was the end of her road despite her inner senses overwhelmingly suggesting otherwise. She knew she could do climb that mountain of success but at a cost and she just did not have it.
As the days marched past, despair set in and as she jealously observed others preparing for the school year, any iota of hope she harboured dissipated.
There was no use planning for the future because there were many like her in the village with the same level of education and she knew only too well where her road would end should she decide to look for a job.
It had been a struggle for her parents to put her through school in her formative years. Now her father is a paraplegic. He was the bread winner of the family until the ravages of age caught up with him and with it, Maggie's aspirations for a better future.
Ingina Kamuti Ilofa, 28, is a mother of four, hailing from Laiagam in the Enga province, living in Kefamo village on the outskirts of Goroka town.
For the past 12 years, Ingina, like many aspiring informal sector entrepreneurs, saw her pot of gold at the end of the rainbow in a modern road transport service.
Her dream was to secure a modern vehicle, which would transport passengers on the lucrative and busy Goroka-Wabag-Mt Hagen-Kundiawa-Lae-Madang route.
She was committed to the dream and worked hard for it.
Married to an Eastern Highlands, Ingina tends a small-scale poultry business, sells ice blocks and has a truck that transports fresh vegetables and fruits from Goroka to Lae and Madang markets.
She knew at the back of her mind that it would be years before she earned enough to purchase the PMV of her dreams.
Thomas Amero is a former coffee buyer, who decided to venture into the hospitality sector because he saw a great need for guesthouse accommodation in Eastern Highlands.
His big opportunity came when the five-room Numukuti Guest House opposite Kamaliki vocational centre came on the market and he promptly possessed it.
After several months, Thomas wonders if he bit off more than he could chew and the guest house stuttered to a halt because of cash flow problems.
He regretted leaving his coffee buying business because there were no cash flow problems there.
Opi Menile and Markie Luhuwae are local farmers specialising in poultry and vegetable farming respectively.
Theirs is a somewhat success story but as with all successes, it must first come with the struggles.
Opi is the unheralded poultry king of Ufeto near Goroka, largely due to his sudden expansion from 50 chickens to 1,500 presently. He sells between 100 and 200 chickens a day and most weekends there are no returns. And in his book, if you are on a good thing, it can only get better and so, high on Opi's priority list then, is further expansion and diversification.
He has now diversified his trade into coffee growing.
Markie, an ex-soldier, didn't quite know where to start after he left the PNG Defence Force.
After over 20 years in the army and living an urban lifestyle, Markie knew he had land back at the village but where to start was the question. He didn't have green fingers as it were.
But he knew that things grow from seeds and all you needed to do was clear a plot of land, till it and plant the seeds. Then you wait. He managed that without any great hassles, perhaps due to the latent characteristic of his farmer ancestors coming to the fore.
First, it was for the family's consumption, then they started selling the surpluses for income and then he hit on the idea that the bigger the garden, the more the surpluses and the greater the income.
It was all very well but the venture called for seedlings in great numbers and that was where he was stuck.
Maggie, Ingina, Thomas, Opi and Markie are five very different people but very much the classic examples of strugglers and achievers.
They are not familiar with each other, coming from different backgrounds but they do have two things in common.
Firstly, each of them had a burden which they themselves were not able to shoulder comfortably, and secondly, they have Alekano Savings and Loan Society, based at Kafuku village outside Goroka town.
Alekano, meaning 'bring it here' in the local Gahuku dialect, is indeed living up its name, echoing perhaps the biblical advice of taking one's problems to the Lord, who will make it all go away.
Alekano Savings and Loan Society was only established in April 2005 and indeed proving to be a saviour for many far and wide in a short span of time.
Alekano has paid Maggie's school fees for her Grade 11 education, treating her and scores of other like her as special cases.
Alekano expects nothing in return comfortable in the knowledge that it is investing in a resource that it hopes would eventually not only benefit the Eastern Highlands, but the country in general --- educated, qualified and competent human resource.
According to Alekano's board chairman Binn Hulotove, the society has paid out over K300,000 in school fees to date this year, Maggie's inclusive.
"This is the spirit of Alekano and we will continue to generously assist Maggie and other disadvantaged school children over the next five years. We care and we are keen to help develop our human resources.
"We will assist but we will not seek any favour in return," Hulotove says.
Indeed, true to its business motto 'People make it happen', Alekano is making a positive impact on the lives of many since its inception less than two years ago.
Ingina recently took delivery of a K65,000 brand new 15-seater PMV courtesy of Alekano, the second such dream that Alekano has helped realise. The first recipient of a brand new PMV was Cassey Kitorowe from Kefamo village.
Opi has diversified into coffee at his Ufeto village, Marike has all the seedlings he needs for his vegetable gardens at his Kafuku village and Thomas has a thriving homely guesthouse on the side of the Highway at Kamaliki --- all courtesy of "a little" help from Alekano.
"The society has provided funding as well as seedlings to the village communities so that local people can work their land and see and benefit from the fruits of their labours," Hulotove says.
He says the society has extended its assistance to farmers in the remote Marawaka and Obura/Wonenara districts as well farmers in the remote pars of Simbu province.
"We fund air transport expenses for these remote farmers to fly their cash crops like coffee from their areas into town markets. It is a burden but we are able and are happily committed to assist, Hulotove said.
Perhaps Alekano's secret of success is in its interest rate.
"We have a very low interest rate of 12% and we don't accumulate our customers' outstanding loans. Mo more, no less, 12% is our flat rate," Hulotove says.
He paid tribute to his 14 hardworking staff for Alekano's positive impact to date, singling out the engagement of former BSP Port Moresby branch manager--- finance and certified accountant Florence Binene.
"Mrs Binene has certainly brought much needed experience into the operation of the society," Hulotove said.
Positive comments from beneficiaries and customers are many and varied but one thing stands out; they are all appreciative and thankful for the existence of Alekano for helping to ease their burdens for the better.
And we are reminded of the Wise Counsellor words: "We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give..."