Everyday people PNG

 My name is Isabella Kila from Rigo, Central Province and being a person with disabilities has granted me a determination to rise above the noises of doubt and be the person I am today.

I am an advocate passionate about fighting for those like me living with disabilities. I have never regarded my physical being as a limitation to what I dream to achieve, it was more of embracing how strong I truly am as a person gifted by God to help those just like me and others that aren’t.

My story is one I like to recall a lot as it was when my life’s path led me to my calling in the ministry. I came to know God in 1997 when I was just a young girl with no direction. I chose to live as I wanted and didn’t know that God had a plan set in motion for me.

I was brought up by my step father who is from Tatana village.

When I was still in high school the most wonderful thing happened to me, it was that time in 1993 that I gave my life to God. I was 19 years old at the time.

As a young man I moved in ministry with people already embedded in preaching the word of God.

Being young at the time I was faced with many challenges in life, but not once did I falter nor stray from my calling from God in my life.

As a young mother to one amazing little boy and wife to a loving husband, I have learnt that no matter what curveballs thrown at me in life I have these two blessed beings to keep my head up.

COVID has truly ruined so many things in our day to day struggles to get by, but I always remind myself that there are places in the world that have been struck worse than us. Yes, it is still alarming how numbers are increasing each and every day and what scares me even more is that some deaths are concluded to having had COVID even when it’s of another cause.

It’s the 7^th year now as a volunteer with Scripture Union and others as well but more focus is on volunteering for Scripture Union.

The main reason behind it is with the development of technology and all these parents kind of not realizing that kids don’t get advice.

I see that Scripture Union is platform there where we can be able to encourage the students to be better people, and to encourage them to love the Lord as well.

I was employed for almost twelve years in the Information Technology industry, but I always had a passion for arts and being creative and one day owning a clothing brand that portrays Papua New Guinea's rich and diverse culture and traditional heritage embedded in the contemporary attires.

With that driving force and aspiration we decided to start up our own clothing brand label Hidomo Wear.

My little story begins with my children, born premature but completely beautiful by the grace of God.

I have 3 boys and they had a big sister, Leilani, who had passed away years ago. They may not have met her but I remind them of how much she would have loved to have all grown up together. She would of course be the leader of the pack.

My boys are big now and each is a representation of the kind of person I hope they grow up to be.  

My family is based in Kimbe, West New Britain Province.

I’ve lived in Port Moresby for the past nine years since moving here in 2013 to study at UPNG.  

Literacy and proper educational materials is a need in every rural school in PNG.

As the first female from my father’s village to graduate from a Tertiary institution (2017), I was keen to support my local school to empower and challenge more students to do their best in school.

I actively run a marine conservation project called “A Tena Valbalaurai Na Ta” which translates to “Guardians of the Sea” in my local Kuanua Language.

The project is fairly new and mainly focuses on my community and nearby communities.

It is a non-profit conservation project which I envisioned a few years back whilst I was living and working in Port Moresby and being engaged in other similar conservations projects.

There are 7 of us in my family. I am the second last.

Living in Port Moresby has been okay, I can see new lifestyles and all sorts of people, both good and bad.

There is just a lot of people from all over the country and the world that live here so things have been changing and are very different.

I completed my grade 12 in 2012 in Wewak and I have been applying to schools and also jobs.

I’m trying to get into the APTC to study carpentry, but because of the COVID lockdown, they haven’t processed applications yet so I’m still waiting.