Successful woman By HAIVETA KIVIA WITH only K50 and a sewing machine, a Jiwaka women is now a proud owner of four business entities. Gertrude Andrias from Jiwaka grew her business in 2001 with only K50 and a sewing machine and today she owns four business entities; Kingku Hitech Training Institute, Kingku Building & Construction, Kingku Travels and Kudjip Mini Mart. Ms Andrias success story was revealed when she presented a paper on Small and Medium Enterprises in Jiwaka Province at the National Development Forum organised by the Central Implementation and Monitoring Council in Port Moresby, last week. Her work is recognised by the National Government and by leaders like Dame Carol Kidu, Jamie Maxtone-Graham, Richard Maru and the National Agriculture Development Bank. She said her dream was started in 1997 when she attended the Community Developers course at the South Pacific Commission Secretariat in Suva, Fiji. “Every Island women who were trained as Community Developers in Fiji were put to task and challenged by the Head of the Institution – Ms. N’ufo Petaia to go back to their country and do something for their communities. She said when she returned she looked at ways and where to put into action what she had learnt in Fiji and in 2001, she went to work in her Jiwaka area (now province) which was still under the administration of Western Highlands. “We built a women’s community resource centre for women to be trained basic skills training in sewing, cooking, baking, inland fish farming, rice farming, vegetable farming, poultry, piggery, leadership, budget and small cash income generating activities,” she said. She said she did not only teach here local women how to sew blouses but she also sewed. She added that with K50 she bought fabrics and sewed four meri blouses which she sold for K20 each making K80. “In three weeks I grew that income to K1000 and the rest is history, and it is still growing,” she proudly told the forum. Ms Andrias said from the sewing business she bought a second hand computer and started a secretarial and computer class at the requests of young women from her area who had completed Grade 10 but failed to get places at higher learning institutions and secondary schools. In 2004, Kingku Hitech Institution, a national Training Council Certified institution, was born with 25 girls trained in secretarial and computer studies. “We have graduated 2000 students so far, who are involved in both formal employment and in the informal sector business,” she said. The institution enrols 200 students annually and they come from all Papua New Guinea to study various business courses in accounting, management, sales & marketing, Business management, computer studies and entrepreneur skills In technical education, the institution teaches motor vehicle mechanic, heavy equipment fitting, electrical, carpentry & construction, hospitality & tourism. “Ninety percent of our students trained are now into formal or informal employment,” she said. She employs more than 15 full time and part- time Academic Teachers and six ancillary staff. Her institution assets are valued at K500,000 and she makes more than K600,000 from tuition fees and board and lodging and other necessary fees.
Posted on: Fri, 05 Jul 2013 03:05:37 +0000
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