More women in Morobe going into small business

By GABRIEL LAHOC
MOROBE is now the leading province under the “women in business” programme, with its members getting the priority to access loans totalling K1 million in next January.
They had also saved more than half a million kina.
That K1 million was from the K5 million released by the government to PNG Women in Business from a K10 million funding assistance.PNGWiB training and marketing manager Sens Angau and Momase coordinator Catherine Kaluwin made these announcement at the conclusion of the fifth financial education training in Morobe attended by 48 women members from Wampar local level government area in Huon Gulf district.
Angau said this would allow for the creation of the first women’s bank in the country, which was in the planning stage.
The training under the micro-finance concept empowered women to start, operate and manage a business, and was the first requirement for members to obtain loans.
 “This training is designed to help members sustain themselves and can change them as individuals, their families and their communities as a whole,” Angau said.
Kaluwin, who faced many challenges when starting the PNGWiB concept with founder Janet Sape in Port Moresby, congratulated Morobe members for their K519,000 in savings and called on women to move forward
He encouraged more women to join and not to give up easily.
Chief Enny Moaitz, who also took part in that training with her relatives from Wampar, thanked the national government for recognising women through the K10 million funding and assurance of their own bank, and extending her acknowledgement to the husbands and families of the members for their support.
Moaitz challenged the new Wampar members to assist each other, and urge them to attend to their meetings.
Pr Gedisa Okamaisa from the Eve Angelical Lutheran church congratulated the mothers and encouraged them to involved God in their journey as entrepreneurs.
“Our business is God’s business and God’s business is our business,” he said.
Four previous trainings were held in Morobe – one each in Lae and Nawaeb districts and two sessions for women in Mumeng in Bulolo district.