Community impact
Housing and schooling
Hargy Oil Palms Limited (HOPL) is a major employer in Papua New Guinea with 5 360 employees, comprising both nationals and expatriates working in various capacities. All employees are provided with the basic necessities of life through housing, electricity, clean water and medical clinic assistance, to ensure their wellbeing at the various plantation sites where they reside and work on a regular basis. A total of 16 staff housing compounds are located at these sites. Outside of work, employees can enjoy a range of recreational and social activities, including swimming and fishing at several clear, flowing rivers; gardening on the abundant fertile volcanic soil; or spending time at the Hargy Senior Staff Club.
Hargy Oil Palms Limited (HOPL) operates a private school which caters for the educational needs of children whose parents are employees of the company. Bialla International Primary School (BIPS) offers classes from preparatory to grade eight for children aged 4 to 16 years old. Students then continue to senior high school at Kimbe International School, owned and operated by the International Education Agency (IEA), a privately-run educational institution. However, construction work is already underway to build new high school facilities on land owned by HOPL to cater for the growing number of students.
Maternity Ward
On the occasion of the celebration of ‘100 YEARS of SIPEF’, the Company initiated a fundraising project for a maternity ward upgrade and renovation in West New Britain in Papua New Guinea. Through Hargy Oil Palms Ltd (HOPL), SIPEF has operated in this area for the last 41 years and has contributed actively to reach the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals (UNSDG) for this particular region. This project is inspired by the UNSDG Goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being.
The Bialla Health Centre (BHC) is the community health facility in the local region of approximately 50 000 people, providing basic medical and health care services, along with a maternity ward. It provides the primary health care services for pregnant women from the community, including HOPL.
The maternity ward was under-equipped and lacked the basic utility of running water for sterilisation, hygiene and keeping the facility clean. The midwifery staff worked with limited medical equipment.
The HOPL project and construction team has worked closely with the West New Britain Provincial Health Authorities (WNBPHA) to repurpose an existing building into a functional maternity ward.
The HOPL team designed the maternity ward, ensuring it met the required legislative health guidelines and provided a significant and notable improvement on the existing services, enabling a safe and accessible facility for women to give birth. The project aligns with the set budget, and whatever funding remains will be utilised to purchase equipment to finalise the fitout and bring the maternity ward to functionality.
The provincial health authorities, through HOPL, have expressed their immense gratitude to the donors who generously provided funding for this project. Likewise, the management of HOPL would also like to thank the donors for their generosity. This maternity ward will positively impact the lives of those in this region and provide a wonderful environment in which new life begins.
