FOR many young families in Papua New Guinea, owning a home often feels like a distant dream. But for 30-year-old Pauline Simahun and her husband Steven, that dream has now become a reality thanks to Trukai Industries.
On Friday August 28, at Papindo in Lorengau, Manus, Pauline was presented with the a brand-new Kit Home valued at over K132,000 — the grand prize of Trukai’s Roots Win Your Own Home promotion.
Pauline, originally from Morobe and East New Britain provinces, could hardly believe her luck. “I am grateful to Trukai for the house. I never thought I would win. I entered the competition with just two tickets at Papindo in Lorengau. When they first drew my name, I didn’t even know until people in the village showed me on their phones. That’s when I knew I had actually won,” she said with a smile.
For Pauline and Steven, who is from Loniu village in Manus, the new home means more than just a roof over their heads — it represents security and stability for their two young boys.
“I work, but owning a home was something we always dreamed of,” Steven shared. “We never thought this would be possible, let alone by entering with two lucky tickets. Trukai made this possible for us. They gave us something to call our own.”
They now plan to build the family home back at Mr Simahun’s village. Pauline says my family in Morobe are now happy that I have a home.
“When they heard about the news they said, now they can come and visit me in Manus and I am happy, she said.
For the Simahun family, the key handed over in Manus was not just to a house — but to the future they had long been wishing for.