In Papua New Guinea, women face unique challenges that men do not — and it impacts their ability to generate income. Ingrained social norms and being overburdened with household chores and responsibilities, for example, means that women are far more vulnerable to injustice and feel the impacts of poverty more severely.

It’s why CARE Australia’s programs seek to elevate women’s voices within their homes and communities, so they can participate in the decisions that affect their lives.

With your support, CARE Australia can continue working with local partners and community leaders to help women in places like Papua New Guinea so they can lead their families to defeat poverty.

We must stand with even more women fighting for the opportunity to have their say and lead their families. Because when one woman escapes poverty, she’ll bring four others with her.

Marlena’s Story

When local CARE staff in Papua New Guinea first met Marlena, she and her husband, Mishael, were doing all they could to meet the daily needs of their family. But the income from their small cocoa farm just wasn’t enough to cover food, clothing, farming supplies and school fees for their children.

“When we faced problems, we got worried. And understandably the children also got worried. When we cried, they cried.”

With the equipment she received from CARE Australia, Marlena was able to play a larger role in her family’s cocoa farm. And she applied the knowledge she gained through training to improve the quality and quantity of the cocoa beans they sell.

Marlena and Mishael’s farm began producing much greater yields of valuable cocoa, and they were even selected as model farmers to help share their new skills with other community members. Marlena recognised the challenges and the rewards:

“We train other farmers in the skills CARE taught us … It is a very important job because it can change the lives of the families when they learn these skills.”

The support you show today will mean more women like Marlena can access the lifesaving assistance they need to lead their families and communities out of hardship and poverty once and for all.