Engan women unite to improve families

By JAMES APA GUMUNO
WOMEN in the Enga’s Wapenamanda district are organising themselves to fight social problems and help improve the quality of life within their family units.
Enga Searching and Recovering Women Association is the initiative of the women in the district comprising of 1,200 members from the five LLGs – Tsak, Minamb, Lower Lai, Middle Lai and Wapenamanda Central – to work together as a team.
President Dian Ambil said that the association focused on empowering women in small income generating activities, addressed social issues like the fight against violence against women, child abuse, HIV/AIDS, improve their quality of living and also address poverty.
Ambil said that womenfolk in the district continuously become victims of domestic violence, tribal fights, HIV/AIDS and many other problems.
She said the association, which was formed in April this year, had now become a mouthpiece for the silent majority of the women and  was addressing some of the problems they encountered.
She said that they were not only looking at the issues affecting women but also their family units.
She said they were now starting within their family units before reaching out to the wider community.
Ambil said they were working very hard to discourage their children from smoking marijuana, stealing and engaging in other criminal activities.
She said that they had plans in place to address illiteracy rate and help women on how to look after their money and how they would invest to generate more money.
Ambil said, during their meeting in Wapenamanda station on Monday, the rural development officer in the district, Clement Kuyan, gave his assurance to help the women by assisting them in agricultural activities and also in small income generating activities with technical advice.
She said that this was a big boost in their aim to learn skills and knowledge to live a good life.