Locals in mining town take viability training

 ABOUT 60 people in Porgera district, Enga, have successfully completed a Personal Viability training – thanks to the Porgera Gold Mine.
Barrick (Niugini) Ltd facilitated the training last February, which participants said was a real eye-opener.
Barrick community planning and development officer Yutha Waisa said the training was to educate the people on how to use resources around them to start small businesses.
It was conducted by the Port Moresby-based Entrepreneurial Development Training Centre through trainer Jessica Geveken.
“It is a home-grown training programme relevant to our rural communities,” she said.
“In Porgera, people just do not know how to use money to improve their lives in a positive way.
“This is what the training tries to address.”
She was encouraged by the interest shown by the participants.
Topics covered included basic Mathematics, identifying needs and wants, personal stock-
Taking, tangible and intangible resources, and productivity discipline.
Amputee Anthon Pokoli from lower Porgera spoke, on behalf of the nine participants with disabilities, said “some of us who are disabled have no hope and just stay at home thinking this is it. This training has been very enlightening for me and my friends. I thought initially that the PV was only for the educated but now I feel that it was intended for me.”
Rueben Yaliman said had the training been available years ago, Porgera would be a much better community today.
“This training has opened our eyes and we want this to continue. I am sure the PV course will help to address many of the challenges and problems in the district.”