This is Joe Mitakaiva from Gulf province who is one of the many young men taken under the care of the City Mission PNG.
27 years old Joe resides at Vadavada settlement and has been involved in all kinds of criminal activities at an early age.
After learning of City Mission PNG and the good work they do to empower youths from some of his friends who came through the programs provided by the organization, Joe decided he needed a change in the way he was living his life and turned to City Mission for help.
City Mission PNG is an NGO organization that takes young boys like Joe off the streets and away from criminal activities and drugs.
The organization trains and up skills many youths that come from broken families who end up on the street and contribute to the increasing number of crimes that happen in the country.
Unfortunately, the organization does not receive direct funding from neither the government nor the department responsible – the Department of Community Development, Youth and Religion.
A few business houses and individuals have assisted in cash and kind over the years which has kept this important organization operational.
The organization received a kind donation today from the member for Kikori and the Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Trade Soroi Eoe who presented a cheque of K50, 000 to help City Mission with operational costs.
Minister Eoe visited the center last year and realised that most of the boys there were from Kikori and he made a commitment to assist and that commitment was fulfilled today.
Eoe said young people have the potential to do greater things and with the right kind of guidance and skills, they can contribute meaningfully to the country.
The organization takes care of over 100 underprivileged young men from all over the country and the funding delivered today will be put towards new equipment that the center needs for the different life skills training programs offered.