Youths decide to turn in bad habits for baked goods

YOUTHS living at Vunapope compound and Palnakaur village in the Kokopo-Vunamami urban local level government, Kokopo, East New Britain, are turning away from their bad habits and getting involving in small-to-medium enterprises (SME).
Youths from the area were well known for their involvement in petty crimes such as bag-snatching, pick-pocketing, doing road blocks, harassing women and young girls on the streets and getting involved in other illegal activities, but that was all in the past now.
According to Edward Darius, from Nabual village in the Duke of York Island LLG, who lives at Palnakaur, the youths decided to turn away from crime and earn their living in an honest way.
Darius told The National in Kokopo last Friday that they had started off by putting up roadsides markets and selling scones in Kokopo.
“We realised our mistakes and we want to make things right,” he said.
Darius said they were thankful to women from Palnakaur who had taught them how to bake scones.
“Even though we did not attend any training or short courses on cooking or baking, by watching, we picked up the skills on how to bake bread and scones,” he said.
He said they ventured into the business idea last December and made more than K1,000 so far.
He said they planned to form a group to help their families in terms of school fees and other expenses.