Training gives youths new life

Two youth programmes supported by Australia through the PNG-Australia partnership are giving youths life skills training to help them find work or do further studies.
The programmes, run by City Mission and Ginigoada Foundation, trains youths in literacy, numeracy, agriculture, and vocational and technical courses and health.
With nearly half the population under the age of 25 years, young people often struggle to access education and employment opportunities, limiting their engagement.
Belden Dimura, 24, entered City Mission’s Mirigeda Farm in Central last year to escape a life of drug and alcohol abuse back home in Popondetta, Northern.
“I’ve always had a keen interest in agriculture,” he said.
“As I go through the programme, I have time to clear my mind and find peace which previously I’d try to find in drugs and alcohol.”
Dimura enjoys working in the farm’s vegetable gardens, especially during harvest time when the food is used to feed over 170 boys living at the farm.
City Mission is a civil society organisation helping young men aged between 18 and 25 years make a change for the better by learning literacy and farming, animal husbandry, small business management and other vocational courses.
With centres in Port Moresby, Lae and Madang, City Mission has been operating in Papua New Guinea for 24 years.
Since 2016, nearly 2500 young people have benefited from City Mission programmes supported by Australia.
Another inspiring story is that of Davidson Taupa, a beneficiary of Ginigoada’s basic financial literacy training. The 30-year old arrived in Port Moresby in 2013 but struggled to find education and work.
In 2017, she attended Ginigoada’s basic financial literacy training course when the organisation went to her community at Hohola in Port Moresby.
She enrolled in a business management course through Ginigoada’s multi-learning centre and learned office and clerical skills.
With the support of Ginigoada, Taupa was selected for a two-month receptionist placement with the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and, based on her performance, was offered the role fulltime.
“I am very fortunate to find a job and massively thankful for how Ginigoada has helped me and many others,” she said.
“I met many new people in one week and was very excited to meet many of the famous radio announcers I only listen to on the radio.”
From the far-flung Duke of York Islands of East New Britain, Taupa is now able to financially assist her family back home.
“My family struggled a lot to give me education and support to get to where I am today,” she said.
“I often worried about how I would repay their kindness, knowing the struggles of village life.
“I am thankful Ginigoada has enabled me, so I can now reciprocate my family’s support.”
Ginigoada Foundation is another civil society organisation supported by Australia that runs mobile life-skills courses in some of the most-disadvantaged communities in Port Moresby, Lae and Central.
Training includes basic literacy, numeracy, cultural diversity and health skills which enable the participants to enrol in more-advanced technical courses followed by on-the-job training.