KELTIGA women's group in Mt Hagen want to change their community. A personal
viability (PV) course has strengthened them physically, mentally, spiritually
and financially. Cathy Rumints, a representative noted that people take for
granted that they are poor, they perceive poverty in their minds that is why
they are always poor. Poverty of the minds has to stop and people must know
there is power to become rich. Enriched by a holistic approach, this women from
a population of about 4000 near Mt Hagen, have gone far by becoming managers of
Digicel Foundation Community Learning Centre (CLC) in their area and used it to
provide life skill training for many women in their area and those afar. Woman
behind the personal viability course in Mt Hagen Cathy Rumints has an aim to
train more women in the course. The women all from Kiumaipana women's group in
Keltiga area have taken ownership of the CLC initiative. They have 70 pre-school
and elementary kids in their centre who cannot walk vast distances for
education. The CLC has two fulltime teachers but needs two more volunteers to
help. They aimed to change the mindset of men in their area that women can be
agents of change as well, women can be in the forefront and women can bring
changes in their families and communities. Four women who were in Port Moresby
yesterday; Mori Lai, Anna Minembi (group president), Ms Rumints and Cathy Ripa,
have praised the efforts of working in partnership with Digicel Foundation. The
women are now embarking on their big project and that is water for their
community as well. They said this is a big change they want to bring to their
communities and women are the frontrunners in this project.
Lessons learnt from this experience:
1. Community of women working together for change.
2. Personal Viability (PV) course to strengthened women physically, mentally,
spiritually and financially to support their own community.
3. Mindset development ot overcome "being poor" thinking, people have to work
hard to earn a descent living.
4. Ability to engage with NGOs, government agencies and private companies to
promote their interests as well as develop poor communities.
End of Article
Equipped for change - Community Development Experience
By NELLIE SETEPANO
