He carries bags for a living

 by GIBSON TORASO
UPNG journalism student
WHILE unemployed youths look for ways to earn a living in urban centres, Roman Peter has found a niche he is happy with.
Peter, from Margarima, carries bags of farm produce on his shoulders to stalls for farmers at the Mt Hagen main market.
Peter, who has been doing this for the past three years since leaving Margarima, said he charged growers K2 kina per bag regardless what the bag contained or what it weighed.
That is how he earns money to help his family put food on the table in the evenings.
“I have been doing this since I came here and I make enough money for a day’s work,” Peter said.
He said that was how he and other youths living in the city earned an honest income.
“Without any proper education, I like what I am doing as it pays me well and I think the growers are satisfied because we do not charge them a large amount of money,” he said
With hundreds of bags of vegetables coming into the market daily to meet the increasing demand, Peter said they could earn between K100 and K200 a day for unloading and carrying produce into the market.
There are many young people like Roman Peter who are struggling to live in urban centres with the high cost of food, yet those like him helping people carry their bags and luggage is one way of making a living in the towns and cities