Kelau determined to do more for his community

By JIMMY KALEBE
A young man from Mumeng Tain in Bulolo district, Morobe, who only completed grade six in formal education, has made a huge difference in his community.
Yunda Kelau, who completed grade six in 1995, did not think of furthering his education but began planting coffee to sustain his life in the village.
Kelau said when he raised enough money from his sale of coffee beans, he looked at what
his family and the community needed.
He told The National that he sometimes made around K2000 from the sales of coffee and used much of that money to fund an initiative that would benefit his community.
Kelau started an in-land fish farming project in 2007 which
he plans to develop it into an aquaculture project, however, due to funding constraints, it is yet to be completed.
“I used my own money and resources to start this project,” he said.
“The money I got from coffee helped me to pay for labour, materials and transport,” he said.
“I have spent over K8000 to establish this aquaculture project myself but to date, it is yet to be completed.”
Kelau’s determination and drive to make things happen saw him become one of the leading handymen in his village.
He is a self-taught carpenter in his village and was hired by Mumeng LLG and a number of individuals to build homes and other buildings.
He is also able to design buildings.
So far, Kelau has designed and built five permanent houses and that has proven to many in his village and LLG that through commitment and determination one can make a difference in his own and other people’s lives.
Meanwhile, Kelau has also submitted proposals to the Mumeng local level government but has not received any response from their office yet.