ExxonMobil PNG Limited (EMPNG), operator of the PNG LNG project, handed over a new Women’s Resource Centre to Boera village in a ceremony today at the village.
The K260,000 resource centre will be used for capacity building and small to medium enterprise (SME) initiatives for women in PNG LNG plant site villages.
LNG Plant Operations Manager Jagir Baxi said the company was delighted to partner with the community to provide an important facility where women will have greater access to training and improved opportunities to develop skills that will help them to improve their livelihoods.
“Working in partnership with our local communities is extremely important to us. We are investing heavily in community development programs to promote economic growth and improve the quality of life for the people of this country,” said Jagir.
The Women’s Resource Centre will be the home for the Diari Tailoring Project that will be able to increase the number of free-of-charge training places it can offer to single mothers, widows and disadvantaged women. The Centre will also host ExxonMobil supported training like the YWCA financial literacy training, other training opportunities and provide a local base for broader discussion around social issues affecting women.
Councilor Vavine Dai from Boera village thanked ExxonMobil for the new infrastructure and assured the company they would look after the Centre while looking forward to seeing the broader opportunities the facility would provide women in their community.
The resource centre was built by local company WW Construction using local people.
In addition to the Boera Women’s Resource Centre, ExxonMobil PNG has recently opened a new community hall for the Lealea community and refurbished a teacher’s staffroom for Redscar High School. It also expects to open a new double classroom at Papa Community Preschool shortly.
ExxonMobil PNG invested K2,264,000 in 2017 on building new infrastructure or refurbishing existing community facilities in PNG LNG project areas.