Every morning before sunrise, Mama Betty Paul heads to her small vegetable garden at Gerehu Stage 5 in Port Moresby.
She is determined to earn enough to keep her children in school.
The mother of four from Kamas village in Wabag, Enga Province, has been growing pak choi cabbage for years, using vacant land around the city to support her family.
Her hard work has already helped her second-born daughter attend an Engan University, while two younger children continue their education in primary and secondary school.
Mama Betty and her husband have lived in Port Moresby for the past 17 years.
She said life in the city was difficult, especially because her husband had little formal education, but they remained committed to giving their children a better future.
“We work harder every day in gardening, growing crops and vegetables because our children’s education is our priority,” she said.
She said her second daughter is studying in Wabag, her third-born child is in Grade 10 at Tokarara Secondary School, and her youngest is in Grade 8 at Tokarara Primary School.
Her eldest son is married and has his own family.
Mama Betty said the biggest challenge ahead was continuing to pay school fees for her younger children.
“We will still work harder for the school fees for the young children in primary and high school,” she said.
She said pak choi was her preferred crop because it matured quickly, taking only three weeks from planting to harvest.
“It costs us K30 to buy a packet of seeds. We raise the seedlings in a nursery before transplanting them into the plots. “
“After that, watering is the most important part of growing healthy and bigger vegetables,” she said.
Most of her customers buy directly from the garden.
“One plot sells for K30. Sometimes I harvest and take them to the market.”
“The small ones sell for 50 toea each while the bigger ones sell for K1 each,” she said.
Mama Betty said the income from her vegetable garden pays for school fees and meets the family’s daily needs.
She encouraged other city vendors to consider farming instead of relying only on selling betel nut.
“It is not only the way to sell betel nut. Farming can also look after your family in the city,” she said.
She also urged parents to take responsibility for their children’s education.
“We cannot blame others, even the government. Children’s education is always the parents’ priority, regardless of our background,” she said.
Although she uses land that belongs to others with permission or temporarily, Mama Betty said it allows her to provide for her family.
“Little is more when there is management and stewardship in your family,” she said.