Thinking outside the box to earn a living

National, Normal
Source:

The National, Tuesday 3rd January 2012

By ABIGAIL APINA
A FATHER of three in the Duke of York Islands, East New Britain, is bringing service to the island in a different way while at the same time generating money for his children’s school fees in preparation for this academic year.
Siloam Esau, an islander from Kibil station on Molot, said land was becoming scarce as many islanders had moved inland and occupied most of the land as a result of the rising sea level.
He said the only option left for his family to make money for school fees, medical fees and other expenses was to operate a mobile shop using a water buffalo.
Esau said his water buffalo, Poris, was almost 13 years old and had been serving them well in their mobile shop business as it was their only transport on the island.
It carries a carriage on its back loaded with second-hand clothes and basic goods to sell from village to village two days a week.
However he said there were very few villages which required him to use his family boat to sell his goods instead of his water buffalo.
Esau said out of 20 villages on the island, he registered his mobile shop in only nine villages.
He said many islanders appreciated the mobile shop as it had served and helped them in saving money as it would cost an individual K40 from the island to Kokopo and back for the same basic goods.
“The service my family is providing the islanders gives them easy access to basic needs,” said Esau.
Apart from his mobile shop, he has turned his backyard into a pineapple patch and is generating an income from sales of the fruits.
Esau said he sells up to a 100 pineapples to Asians in Kokopo town with prices ranging from K3-K5 depending on size.