Esther happy with small business

A PART from providing daily news coverage, newspapers have a variety of other uses too.
Esther John from Gembogl district in Chimbu knows that too well. She sells old newspapers to market vendors for wrappings, and to others for “smoke”.
She travels once a week from Kundiawa to Lae to buy old newspapers to resell back in her hometown.
The mother of six and her husband resell newspapers at the Yuwai Market in Kundiawa.
The long journey down the Highlands Highway may be rough and tiring but to Esther, it is worth it.

“ I’m happy with my sales of newspapers however the Government must fix the Highlands Highway so it will be safer for us to travel to and from Lae.”

The newspapers sell like hotcake in her hometown. Men, women and children buy them for various purposes.
Esther sells pages for 30t each and 50t for two pages. On a good day she can sell a page for 50t.
The money she gets helps to feed her family, pay school fees and meet traditional commitments such as bride price ceremonies.
Her husband helps her at times in travelling to Lae to buy new stock.
She reckons The National is more popular because it has more pages.
Poultry farmers buy old newspapers from her to use in their sheds.
Esther makes a good profit from her small business. She estimates that she makes around K200 to K300 from the two or three bundles of newspapers she brings back to sell.
Kundiawa town receives the newspaper a day late from either Goroka or Mt Hagen. A newspaper costs K2.50 or K3 when sold in Kundiawa.
So for her, it is better and more convenient to travel to Lae and purchase her stock from there.
She also busies herself in selling fresh potatoes, cabbages and carrots in Lae. She overnights with her family in Lae if the need arises.
She sells vegetables, buys the newspapers then returns home.
Her biggest problem is travelling between Kundiawa and Lae. The road condition is not that good.
“I’m happy with my sales of newspapers however the Government must fix the Highlands Highway so it will be safer for us to travel to and from Lae.”