3rd Graduation for MEP in the Highlands Region

Jodie McAlister from Australia High Commission Governance Councellor presenting a certificate to a MEP graduand in Kwinka Primary School, Mul Baiyer District, Western Highlands Province looking on by Mr. Benny Popoitai, Deputy Governor, Bank of Papua New Guinea.

The Reformation Ministries of Churches Network through its partnership with the Microfinance Expansion Project (MEP) has graduated more than 3,000 people in Western Highlands on Wednesday 1^st July 2015.

The graduation ceremony was held at Kwinka Primary School in Mul Baiyer District and was witnessed by representatives from AusAid, Bank of Papua New Guinea, National Planning & Treasury, Microfinance Expansion Project team, Western Highlands Provincial Government and surrounding communities in the Baiyer area.

This is the third graduation of Reformation Ministries of Churches Network (RMCN) after it partnered with Microfinance Expansion Project (MEP) under the arrangement to deliver Financial Education (FE) to the members of its church network.

The Ministry’s first financial education graduation was held in October 2014 at the RMCN headquarters in Tsak Valley, Enga Province, followed by a second graduation in Minz, Jiwaka Province in December the same year.

Under the Microfinance Expansion program around 47,000 people have graduated in financial education training around Papua New Guinea. 27,000 of those who have graduated were women.

By 2018 a target of 120, 000 people should be trained across the country when the Microfinance Expansion Project comes to an end. Centre for Excellence in Financial Inclusion (CEFI) was created to replace and continue the work of the Microfinance Expansion project when it ceases operations in 2018.

The financial education training is about educating Papua New Guineans about basic budgeting and savings which will empower them to access financial services to improve their livelihood.