Twenty-year-old Abigail Miere from Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea has a health condition that has prevented her from finishing school. She spends a lot of time at home, and her family members have been looking for ways to engage Abigail in creative activities that could generate an income.

With COL’s support, Abigail enrolled in a two-month cooking and baking course that has equipped her with useful skills and opened new prospects for the future.

“During my first days in school I didn’t have the confidence even to slice the carrots,” Abigail said.  With encouragement from her trainers and fellow students, she learned to cook and gained an understanding of food hygiene and safety. She started earning money from selling baked goods and is looking forward to venturing into catering.

The course has been offered by COL’s partner Servants of St Joseph (SSJ) via its Talleres de Nazaret Training Centre (TNTC). Sr Lucy Camiring, TNTC director, noted that the training has enabled participants to build their sense of self-worth and empower them to share what they have learned with their communities.

With COL’s support, more than 300 women, girls and young men in Papua New Guinea have built skills to sustain themselves and their families. COL has also contributed to building the capacity of SSJ in monitoring and evaluation, gender equality, project management and sustainable agriculture.

“COL aims to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment through promoting educational attainment and economic participation of women and girls. Abigail’s story is an example of how COL has helped a young woman gain power and control over her life,” said Ms Frances Ferreira, COL Acting Director: Skills.