USAID helps improve financial literacy for 35 people in Jiwaka Province
News Highlights November 14, 2023
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) supported 35 people, including 18 women (51%), to access financial literacy training in Jiwaka province.
On October 24, local trainer, Agnes Kerry, certified Financial Literacy Trainer under the USAID funded Lukautim Graun Program in partnership with Center for Excellence in Financial Inclusion (CEFI), trained 35 people in the basics of financial literacy at Molka Lodge in Jiwaka Province. Participants in the financial literacy training now have a better understanding in the basics of saving and budgeting, which are the foundational skills for creating new enterprises and increasing household and personal financial security, particularly for women. Unfortunately, people from marginalized communities in Papua New Guinea (PNG), especially women from rural and remote communities, find it difficult to access services like banking so they often miss out on its associated economic benefits. Banking provides people the ability to save money in a secured place for future use or the option to access financial credit to grow their small-scale business and expand their livelihood options. Among the 35 participants is Jamie Mond, a person living with special need. who testifies that FLT has given him the confidence to continue operating a family trade store, a piggery and vegetable farming regardless of his physical disabilities. Jamie is married with three children and giving them a decent education has been his concern. He plans to raise enough money through his business-chain and send his children to better schools. Kerry Galang, a participant at the financial literacy training said “The knowledge I gained from this training is vital as it will help me run the family poultry farm. We lacked knowledge on how to budget and manage the cashflow from the family business until I attended this training. A local pastor, Matthew Kulda was among the participant who attended the training. Pastor Kulda said “the training has helped me, broaden my knowledge especially on how to do budget on family savings. The training has also given me the confidence to start up a business, apart from my pastoral duties. The participants spoke highly of the FLT and acknowledged and thanked the people of United States for the USAID funded Lukautim Graun Program activities in the Jiwaka Province. The 35 who completed the training recently are looking forward to joining the 600 plus participants who have completed similar training and are awaiting to graduate.A mass graduation is being planned with the support of the Jiwaka Provincial Government for over 600 FLT participants from Jiwaka province. This is part of USAID’s commitment through the PNG Lukautim Graun Program (LGP) and its partnership with CEFI to deliver financial literacy training for Papua New Guineans that focuses on the economic empowerment of people form marginalized populations, particularly women.
