More than a name: Junior’s rise to senior facilitator

ABOVE: Participants leaving a workshop on on Saposa Island hosted Plan International and facilitated by Junior. IMAGE: Grace Mondia/Plan International

By Grace Mondia, Disaster Risk Reduction Coordinator, Plan International in PNG

Junior is a Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) focal person on the beautiful island of Bougainville, hailing from Saposa Island in the Kunua District. He began as a youth participant attending DRR trainings during the initial phase of the project in 2019. Junior has vivid memories of how the project has progressed over time, despite the turnover of DRR coordinators in the past three years. In the absence of a DRR coordinator, he has actively engaged with community members with the support of the Disaster READY program via Plan International. Over time, Junior honed his skills and recently transitioned from being a participant in DRR trainings on climate-smart farming to becoming a food processing trainer!

As a DRR focal person for his community, Junior’s primary role is to ensure effective communication from the project team to people in the three wards he represents. Given the challenges of scattered project locations and limited network coverage, Junior works diligently to ensure that project information reaches all stakeholders and that beneficiaries are prepared for upcoming activities. He is grateful for his initial involvement as a participant, which has equipped him to actively participate in various project activities. Drawing on his training experiences, Junior now utilizes his skills to facilitate food processing trainings in communities across Bougainville.

Junior is outgoing and has accompanied the DRR team to project locations, assisting with surveys, organising trainings, and participating in annual events such as World Food Day, the Cocoa Festival, and other Disaster READY project activities. He is a dedicated team player, always willing to volunteer for additional responsibilities.

“I was eager to attend the various trainings and activities conducted by the team, but the food processing training stood out for me,”Junior said. “I believe Plan International engaged the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) to deliver this training, and I am forever grateful for the knowledge and skills gained, which have enabled me to teach others during my engagements with them.”

“…Plan International engaged the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) to deliver this training, and I am forever grateful for the knowledge and skills gained, which have enabled me to teach others during my engagements with them.” Junior beamed.

IMAGE: Grace Mondia/Plan International

Junior's expertise has earned him recognition in Bougainville as a successful food processing trainer. The Autonomous Bougainville Government Department of Primary Industry (ABG DPI) and other non-governmental organisations have enlisted Junior to facilitate numerous food processing training courses. Additionally, local women's groups have requested his services to conduct trainings targeting women and food processing.

When asked about his role, Junior expressed his passion for food processing training, finding it engaging to capture the crowd's attention during open days such as the recent chocolate festival. He particularly enjoys demonstrating the process of preparing raw food for preservation and transforming it into products like cassava or sweet potato cakes.

In terms of challenges, Junior admitted to feeling reserved when delivering climate-smart farming sessions. He expressed doubts about his technical ability to answer complex questions related to climate change, suggesting that such inquiries require a trained individual with a specific agricultural background.

Recently, Plan International collaborated with ABG DPI to conduct climate-smart farming training in the Mahari and Kereaka Community Government areas, with Junior assisting in organization and facilitation. The DRR project has highlighted Junior's journey as a model youth who transitioned from a training participant to a facilitator, hoping to inspire other young individuals to seize opportunities for positive change.