21/08/2025
19-year-old Andrea Mulavo was like many other aspiring young people hoping to pursue a career in the corporate worldābut everything changed in 2024 when she visited her village, Tumpada, in Central Bougainville and witnessed the struggles of her local community.
Andrea, a Grade 12 student at Kopkop College, says her trip home to bury her grandfather shifted her perspective. It was during that visit she decided to pursue studies in agriculture or environmental engineering, driven by the realization that she has a social obligation to her people. As an educated young Papua New Guinean, she felt a deep need to give back.
āUsually when I make those trips home, Iām there to sightsee and visit peopleāitās for leisure,ā Andrea said. āBut during that visit, with the weight of all the responsibilities coming to light, I realized that despite my familyās and academic successes, I have a social responsibility to my people.ā
She added, āMy people live off the land and have so much available to them. And with all that they have, they are always givingāwhether itās land or produce sold at the market. Yet they donāt always receive much in return for their hard work.ā
At 19, Andrea firmly believes that farming can transform lives in rural Papua New Guinea, where most of the population resides. āPapua New Guinea is deeply rooted in a subsistence lifestyle. Even after thousands of years as part of the global community and 50 years of independence, we still return to our rootsāwe still rely on the land,ā she said. āBy focusing on agriculture, I can help people in my community who depend heavily on growing produce and farming.ā
Andrea draws inspiration from her mother, Molly Mulavo, who works as a Human Resource Manager at Port Moresby Nature Park. She says witnessing the parkās expeditions into local areas to retrieve plant and animal speciesāand educate communities on the importance of biodiversityāmotivates her to give back.
āSeeing my mum inspired by the work sheās doing made me want to be the same. I want so much to help others and to be content with that.ā
Pacifund CEO Des Yaninen, who attended Kopkop Collegeās Traditional Food Display and Preparation event, reminded young people to value and utilize their land. āIn Papua New Guinea, only three percent of the land is owned by the governmentā97 percent is still owned by the people. That gives us a real opportunity for wealth creation,ā he said. āThereās so much we can do, but unfortunately, when we look at the land, we donāt always see its value. I encourage young Papua New Guineans to take a closer look at what they have. There may be opportunities in farming, forestry, and much more.ā
By: Leiao Gerega
