< Previous“Through this project the standard for my family has improved. We now earn almost 70 Kina per day” Sharon Dauge, Gadaisu, Papua New GuineaIn just two years the Dabu bakery has become the heart of village life. DABU BAKERYThe success of the business means that members are now earning up to K200 (£50) a week. This is a big increase from their initial earnings of K70. A key focus for the Dabu bakery this year is to diversify their range, get some formal training and grow herbs to flavour the breads. The salty sea air is starting to corrode the oven but Brother’s investment will mean it can be upgraded to something more permanent. 22“We train our children to sew so in future they can sew their own clothes and raise money for themselves to earn their living.” Sheila Isaac, Gadaisu, PNGThe Papua New Guinean sewing group is going from strength to strength and the women recently made 50 sets of robes for the annual pastors retreat in Gadaisu. JODAN SEWING GROUPThe range of products has also expanded, the group are producing dresses, skirts and, the local favourite, Meri blouses. Some basic sewing machine training is a focus for 2017 to be followed by work on designing patterns and machine maintenance. This year will see JODAN register as a business, open a bank account and become a fully fledged village enterprise. 25Education is important for our partners and in Wabumari the community is investing in a new school classroom for 45 children. CLASSROOMS & SCHOLARSBursaries have been awarded to 17 children to attend secondary school or vocational courses in Alotau. Parents and teachers of Gadaisu primary school put together a proposal to help Grade 8 children attend secondary education. The community association,Yakolima Committee, accepted and used Cool Earth funding worth Kina 4,000 to financially support these children through the next step of their schooling. The bursaries have already seen some success stories with pupils, Jerry Dauge and Leleu David recently completed vocational courses in hospitality, a widely recognised subject in Papua New Guinea. Jerry has completed a course over the last two years with a focus on baking and has come back to help with the Dabu Bakery as work experience. Leleu has recently completed a course in hospitality with a focus on housekeeping.28“We should continue conserving our forest not just for our present generation but for our future generations. We can’t abandon it. It is good for us.” Frazer Halaba - Treasurer, Wabumari Community AssociationNext >