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Former drifter builds business Time hung heavy on Justin Loveave’s hands as he roamed the streets of Port Moresby. He had some training in mechanics, electrical repair and carpentry through the Salvation Army, but he found that jobs were hard to come by.
In 2002, World Vision staff challenged these unemployed men to think seriously about how they could use their skills. If they could not get a job, could they start some kind of project or business instead? Someone came up with the idea of a carpentry workshop. Inspired, Justin and a relative, Alu Ovai, collected scrap wood from a sawmill and built a small shed. Their plan was to make simple coffins they could sell cheaply in the Vadavada community where they live. To help the men get started, World Vision provided some of the initial building materials, but subsequent supplies have been bought from the workshop’s profits. Some may think it a little morbid, but Justin sees the coffin-making business as having benefits for the community as well as him. The people living in Vadavada now can buy his coffins for less than a quarter of the cost in the city, and Justin has found something worthwhile to occupy his time. “I am using my time well and am happy at the end of the day,” he says. “In one day I can make one coffin, although I can make more if requested.” So far, Justin and his fellow workers have made and sold 10 coffins. They have also made chairs, tables, shelves, and coconut scrapers. They sell the furniture locally and have also provided trestle-type tables to Vadavada families who earn their income from street vending. Other projects include church pews and blackboards for two pre-schools. World Vision is supervising the carpentry project. There is an agreement that the fledgling business will retain 50 percent of the profits as an operating budget and bank 10 percent. The remaining 40 percent is to be shared among the woodworkers. Some of the young men assisting Justin originally came from a village in the Central Province. Justin says they are happy to be learning a skill that they hope to pass on to others when they eventually return home. “Young men in the city don’t work, but those of us that came from the village volunteer to do any work for the community. After gaining skills, we want to go back to the village and produce our own things,” says Justin. If this means that in the future more young people will be able to stay in rural areas rather than migrate to the city in search of non-existent jobs, then Justin’s coffin-making enterprise will have achieved one more major benefit. |
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VADAVADA STORY ARCHIVE 2005 Snippets 2004 Diploma for Dennis Village court Snippets Showing his mettle No looking back Project extends 2003 Young man of vision Snippets Perseverance pays off Illiterate dad goes to school Families grow better life Former drifter builds business AIDS risk
Port Moresby: Snippets
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