Apart from her bubbly personality, the first thing one notices upon being introduced to Yanamlyn for the first time is her name. “Yanamlyn Yana”, she suspects the first part of her name sounds like her surname to preserve her family name, a continued legacy.
Hailing from Kaintiba, Gulf Province, 30-year old Yanamlyn Yana is currently the Senisim Pasin Campaign Coordinator with PNG Tribal Foundation, a role suiting to her passion and commitment.
Raised in Kaintiba, a rural LLG that could be found between the borders of Gulf and Morobe province, Yanamlyn grew up attending schools in the village. She had the chance to leave her comfort zone in 2012 when she was selected to do her grade 11 in Sogeri National High. She hung around Port Moresby ever since.
Yanamlyn always had a passion for the community, that was why it did not come as a surprise for most who knew her when she decided to take up Social Work in the University of Papua New Guinea in 2014 after high school.
She credits a lot of her drive for community work and nation building to her mother.
“She is the one who inspired me”, Yanamlyn said with beaming energy.
Yanamlyn’s revered memories of her mother are when Mrs. Yana stands up in the community market place, with no need for a hailer, and calls out public servants, by name even, on their failures without fear or favour. She was always big on holding leaders accountable. Miss Yana caught on to the vibe at a young age, and developed the desire to contribute in such a way to the society.
The power step in the right direction for her came in August of 2017, when she first stepped into the PNG Tribal Foundation Office which was previously located at Konedobu, Port Moresby, as a volunteer. Led on by her admiration for PNG’s Human Rights Activist Ruth Kissam, it did not take long for her to show great potential that by the end of the year, Yanamlyn was made the first ever intern for PNG Tribal Foundation. From then on, the only way was up.
Reflecting back, Miss Yana thought it a great blessing as that took place during her final year in University.
“I already had a job, and then I graduated”, she said with an ear to ear grin as if just realizing it.
Not only had PNG Tribal Foundation motivated Yanamlyn to rise up to the challenges that came along with her job description over the years, but it helped her be the person she wanted to be for her community and the country as a whole.
When asked about what fascinates her about her job, Miss Yana answered, “being able to engage with different walks of life”, without hesitation.
To have been able to engage with villagers in a remote area, to students in school halls, to corporate professionals, sharing discussions on the topic of Gender Based Violence and Sorcery Violence is one thing she loves about her job as she always has a good view of the bigger picture with all the experiences she had encountered with these different people.
The second thing she loves about her job is helping people realize they have a part to play in the elimination of Gender Based Violence, and Sorcery Related Violence, especially when they take stands against the issues.
Miss Yana had a lot to say about what the Senisim Pasin Campaign intends to achieve, but in a nutshell, she says “the words Senisim Pasin explains itself”.
Two words depicted on what the campaign sets out to accomplish is Appreciation and Responsibility. Miss Yana believes that we can encourage great things with sheer appreciation for the other person, no matter how little their effort may seem, and when it comes to nation building, we are all responsible.
Miss Yana aspires to be an expert in development, among others, she wants her career to be one her community and others can benefit from. From where she is now it is no doubt she will get there. A great turnout for just volunteering.
