Major milestone in grasroots business education
BUSINESS
THIS year’s Independence Day was also the silver jubilee of the Personal Viability (PV) business training programme in PNG and abroad.
The Human Development Institute (HDI) which runs the PV course celebrated the milestone at the Rev Sione Kami Memorial Church in Port Moresby – the ‘birthplace’ of PV education.
The anniversary was not only special to mark how far PV has travelled in the past 25 years but also to show the commitment, perseverance, sacrifice and mostly the love it has taken to bring HDI’s PV education system this far.
All 40,000 praxis or students that have experienced their own mind transformation through PV will agree that true education is mind development.
HDI lives up to its philosophy and that is “Give a man a fish and you feed him for one day; teach a man how to fish and you feed him for life.”
This statement has its own story in the many lives PV has transformed for the sole purpose of achieving self-reliance and financial independence.
The amazing thing about PV is that it is always an ongoing process and it has adapted and adjusted to suit the customer’s needs over the past 25 years and gone to heights never imagined.
Raising the bar
Every year the bar is raised and this year, the 25th year, it has certainly reached something never imagined possible which only proved that where there is a will there is a way. PV has evolved so much and when you take time to look back on its journey, it truly defines what PV is all about and that is personal power that has made things possible in the past 25 years.
The living testament to this alternative education system is Samuel Tam Snr, widely known by his praxis as Papa Sam. He has proven over a span of 25 years that all you need in your life to be prosperous is your personal power as that is the ultimate force within you that drives you in the pathway towards your goals in life.
When you make up your mind, everything you need in life automatically gets attracted to you which only means you have converted yourself into an asset to be a magnet to all things great. PV, through Papa Sam, has undeniably given a sense of hope to the marginalised, the dropouts, the outcasts, the uneducated,and the less educated. This group of people find it so hard to get back on their feet to meet society’s standards after going through setbacks in life.
These very people felt like they never belonged to anything positive in life until they crossed paths with PV and you honestly see through their actions that truly they have found a new sense of belonging in life.
You can confidently say that they now understand their purpose on earth and that is to live life to the fullest by knowingly adding value to everything and everyone in that journey upwards.
Papa Sam’s gift of PV to PNG for it to be a blessing to the world has now reached a stage where it has to be taken seriously in order for the masses to have better lives moving forward. Words will never be enough to show our appreciated to Papa Sam and his family for their sacrifice to see forth this PV education transforming lives for the better. We now owe it to ourselves to follow this path for our people.
Rich nation, poor people
PNG is known as a rich nation with poor people simply because we have never been trained to use the already acquired knowledge that we have within us to bring forth a better life for ourselves, hence the reason we are so dependent even after 46 years of independence. But for how long?
PV Education system presents a proven alternative education system that our people truly need if we want to see massive progress as a nation. We can only grow our nation through its people and the opportunity is here before us. PNG, the choice is yours. Make a decision today, knowing that it will make a positive difference in the many lives that will come after.
What matters most today is you. Make that choice towards a truly independent nation of God.
If you want one year of prosperity, grow grains
If you want 10 years of prosperity, grow trees
If you want 100 years of prosperity, grow people.
PV Home School
HDI’s 25 years of work in its unique world-class business education has found that many people are still living a poverty lifestyle. People create their own stressful and violent environments. After 46 years of independence PNG, like other developing nations, is beset with economic and social problems. These are poverty, dependency, corruption, nepotism, gender-based violence, unemployment, disgruntled landowners, and many more.
Unfortunately, most programmes in addressing these issues are treating the symptoms, not the causes. HDI has designed and implements a holistic human development and business-class education system that addresses the cause of poverty and social problems. The PV education system focuses on development human resources into human capital and human assets.
Through the many testimonies from praxis, HDI has seen the need to fully treat the cause and this is to start at home with the family.
There is a high dependency rate at home where there can be one bread winner trying to put food on the table and pay for everyone’s expenses. One of the most important findings of HID programmes is the realisation that education must start at home, with the family.
Human development is the responsibility of parents. However, if parents are not educated to develop their potential, they would lack the experience and capacity to develop their children.
HDI has created the PV Home School to encourage everyone at home to start income-generating projects to meet all family needs. HDI intends to roll out a nationwide PV Home School programme, starting this year, to develop the family unit. Its purposes include:
- Family upbringing education
- To draw out the full potential of human resources
- Mind development
- Good character development
- Practical application of universal laws and resources
- Family teamwork
- Financial competence – make money, multiply money, save money, invest money, spend money wisely
- Competence in grassroots mathematics
- Competence to organise and use natural resources
HDI with its development partners trial out PV Home School for all in the family. In the last eight weeks, we registered 22 families to participate giving them the opportunity to make money and save with Women’s Micro Bank. The families consist of 92 adults, 16 children under 18 years and 21 children under 10 years.
Winners announced
HDI and WMB on July 20, 2021 announced that the trial competition would awards for the highest savings by under 10s, under 18s, adults and families, and average highest total proprietor’s fund (TPF) for each category on Sept 16.
The winners were:
Totals highest savings by under 10s: Alexis Paschalis Zarriga
Total highest savings by under 18s: Dreidan Vuia
Total highest savings by adults: Ruby Zarriga
Average highest savings for family: Zarriga family
Average TPF by under 10s: Alexis Paschalis Zarriga
Average TPF by under 18s: Dreidan Vuia
Average TPF by adults: Ruby Zarriga
Average TPF family: Zarriga family
HDI and Kako Consultation Business Services are officially launching the PV Home School to be conducted throughout the country with in 10 provinces (NCD, Central, Morobe, Bougainville, Milne Bay, Eastern Highlands, East New Britain, Madang and West New Britain). The two organisations will be sponsoring 100 families in 10 provinces. The registration fee for an average family of six is K500 of which every family member has to contribute K50 each to invest themselves and participate to meet the family yearly budget.
HDI, Kako Consulting Business Services, Eagle PVBS Ltd, WMB, and Ennovation will be working together to change one family at a time to become truly independent at home.
Mekepo Village – a new way of developing undeveloped traditional land in PNG
The training provided by HDI has enable praxis to develop business ideas of their own. Out of this training was born the Eagle PV Group which now mentors entrepreneurs to grow their businesses collaboratively.
The family of one recent trainee Rachael Pindu signed an agreement with HDI to develop a portion of tradition land at Baruni in NCD into a modern village consisting of residential and commercial sections.
The family company, Pindu Transport and Logistics Services Ltd has signed an agreement with HDI to develop the Mekepo Village concept.
Rachael’s husband Mek Pindu had this to say during the announcement on Sept 16.
“This signing paves the way for a roll out of development aspirations of Mekepo Village, a pilot project on a traditional land parchel located at Baruni/Motukea in NCD. It will be developed into a thriving modern village which will obviously be a first of its kind in PNG. This development model of an undeveloped traditional land directly fulfils the present and past governments’ policy initiative to “Take back PNG.”
Pindu said the intention was to develop the land into a fully commercial, industrial and residential alotments. There may even be a hotel.
“The land ownership would not be sold, therefore the title would remain with the Pindu family. Papa Sam will use his expertise to ensure the land achieves its status from the current undeveloped vacant land to one that is bankable. At that level it would be easier to roll out finance and a developer may also come in to carry out all development intentions.
“This development model would bring about many long term tangible and intangible benefits to all stakeholders including the landowners, the financier and the developer, the new Mekepo Village residents and the surrounding local Baruni/Motukea community.”
Pindu said this concept of land development was currently in line with the current Marape government’s development initiative and a first of its kind in the country and therefore the concept would be named the Mekepo Village model.”
Pindu has urged landowners in PNG to not sell your land.
“Keep your land for future generations. Use the Mekepo model to develop and benefit from your land without selling it.”
Pindu Transport and Logistics Services Ltd is specialised in general logistics, machinery hire, civil works buildings and maintenance services. The company is based at Section 493 Allotment 16, Nigibata Road, Gerehu, NCD.
It has been in operation for the last 10 years serving clients and communities in Port Moresby, NCD, Gulf and Central.
“We got to know Papa Sam through our attendance of PV training organised HDI,” Pindu said.
“In our family my wife Rachael Pindu was the first to attend the PV training.
“The training has indeed opened up our minds to see ourselves in the context of what we are able to do using what available resources we may have on hand that we can put to good use in order to obtain maximum benefit from their usage.
“For instance, HDI has taught us how to put to good use a simple K10 to raise its value to unbelievably more than K600 in just seven days. This programme can be done by people at all levels and from all walks of life; the educated, uneducated, employed , unemployed, children, youth or adults.
“No academic programme offered by any institution in PNG or anywhere in the world can match this level of business class education. It is only offered by HDI at their 6-Mile office. They develop and train the human mind and activate its capability to reach incredible heights when you discover your own hidden potentials of what you can be able to achieve. That is called one’s achievement of personal viability.
Business incubation hub
Also during the 25th anniversary celebrations on Sept 16 Capital Centre Ltd and HDI announced the development of an MSME incubation centre at 5-Mile land.
Capital Centre Ltd is a locally owned company of the TST Group owned by the Tan family. The group is well-known for its chain of supermarkets, wholesale and retail stores. It started with a trade store at Tokarara in October 1979 but the family association with PNG dates back to 1921, with the arrival of the director’s grandfather, Joseph Yuk Cheung Lau, from China. The family’s relationship with PNG is therefore a century old today.
The founder of TST Group, the late Tin Siew Tan was a visionary in the early nation-building years and revolutionised retail shopping for the ordinary PNG citizen.
The TST Group has since contributed enormously to the development of the PNG economy, with their vision of ‘building PNG’s commerce through multiple industries.’
The Tan family are third and fourth generation PNG citizens and have a deeply-rooted history in the country. Over the decades and generations, the Tan family have remained committed to serving PNG. TST has been providing for household needs and safeguarding employment for thousands of citizens for over 40 years.
Ahead of his time, the late Tin Siew Tan had even bigger dreams to further revolutionise the ordinary shopping experience. He envisioned PNG’s first mega shopping mall, which would have become a reality in the 90s, soon after CCL acquired Portion 2192 on April 14, 1991, but the State’s devices to discredit and deny CCL its legal rights to Portion 2129 began.
The TST Group and Tan family story in PNG has been a true journey of discovery. It is a long and proud one – which is a testament to the company’s passion and commitment to the country. The TST Group will honour the legacy and dream of the late Tin Siew Tan and the future story promises to be event brighter and bolder.
The future: 5-Mile Junction development
On March 19, 2020 CCL submitted its eighth application to the National Capital District Physical Planning Board for the development of the “5-Mile Junction” – a mixed use mall, office spaces, recreational amphitheater and medical hub. The application has since been pending under the argument that Portion 2192 is public land.
On July 3, 2020 CCL filed National Court proceedings against the NCDC. On July 26, 2020, the late Tin Siew Tan passed away, without realising his dream to develop Portion 2192. He is buried in PNG.
The National Courty on May 19, 2021, declared that CCL was the registered proprietor of the Portion 2192 and made orders, inter alia, that “the defendants shall give vacant possession of Portion 2192 to CCL within 45 days from the date of the order.
According to a company statement: “The properly registered survey map has been confirmed by the Office of the Surveyor-General. The orders and the confirmed properly registered survey map have been served on the defendants.
“It is now coming up to six months since our eighth application to the NCD PPB on our 5-Mile Junction submission. We are yet to hear from the board which is very disappointing. The project is expected to create and provide an estimated 10,000 additional jobs which would be a significant boost to the economy.”
Waiting but not being idle
The company said whilst awaiting its submission to be approved it intends to honour the late Tin Siew Tan.
“We are very pleased to announce that we have signed an MOU in partnership between TST and HDI on the MSME Incubation Centre.”
The business incubations can be set up in many ways. They generally provide start-ups and early-stage businesses with the support and resources those young companies difficult to access. Their support can involve access to networks, investors and mentors, or co-working space alongside other businesses and experienced professionals.
The incubation centre can be entrepreneurial networking hub whereby products can be developed our outsourced and distributed to retail outlets.
Farmers and artisans can participated in the incubation centre which can facilitate further processing and branding of their products for the retail market through the network of entrepreneurs or through the marketing platform.
The incubation centre can facilitate sharing of experiences by entrepreneurs in early stages of business development when the entrepreneur requires support not only financially but access capability-building support such as training programmes delivered institutions such as the Human Development Institute that can provide appropriate entrepreneurial training, provide guidance on early stage business development and help scale up their skills so as to create a strong cash flow, and a culture of using savings and financial products to grow their businesses.
The incubation centre should create a safe marketplace for entrepreneurs and assist gender-based affected women to access livelihood training to establish financial security. The business incubation centre should be able to facilitate financial literacy training and business development training to the affected people.
“This ground-braking pathway programme will be the first of its kind and provide the necessary starting platform for our SMSE centre to thrive.
“It will be great to finally honour the late Tin Siew Tan’s memory. This programme is definitely something that he would have envisioned and we will be proud to incorporate this into our submission so that the programme can ensure continuity once our approval is given,” CCL said.
Applications are now open for interested individuals to be part of of the business inclubation programme.
For a fee of K2,000 trainees (or potentional entrepreneurs) will be provided coaching, business-class knowledge, financial competence skills and project funding (courtesy of Women’s Micro Bank’s revolving credit guarantee scheme).
- Article and pictures supplied by HDI and Capita Centre Ltd