Meet the business women of Bougainville

On the northern tip of Buka Island in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, the women of Lemanmanu village who run a business that produces and sells female hygiene packs are keen to continuously improve their business skills and sales so they can support their families.

“If you want to lift up humanity, empower women. It is the most comprehensive, pervasive, high-leverage investment you can make in human beings.”
― Melinda Gates

 They are part of our Strongim Meri Bisnis project, supported by the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP)’s PNG-Australia Partnership, that works with women’s groups across PNG to establish businesses sourcing, producing and selling products in demand in their local communities.

 In Lemanmanu, the in-demand product is female hygiene packs – called “Kukubei Packs” locally- which are made by the group and sold locally. The women also conduct awareness activities at local schools to increase knowledge about menstrual hygiene as part of their business.

 As part of the project’s ongoing mentoring and support framework, this week Programs Manager Rebecca is with the group for their Phase 2 training, focusing on marketing and promotion. From the 4 P's of marketing - Promotion, Place, Price & Product - to attitudes towards menstrual hygiene management in their communities, the women workshopped, role played and analysed topics to put them into practice to maximise their business success.

We love that little 'H' was right by mum's side during her workshop! To encourage women with children under school age to become involved with the business, we offer child-friendly training sessions. H will no doubt nail Marketing 101 when college comes around! 

We look forward to seeing the ongoing results from this incredible group of Pawa Meris.