Hilda Jimati is a mother of eight from Oro Province, who travels to Lae to sell her crafts made from the famous Tapa cloth.
She has been engaged in the Tapa craft business for more than 14 years.
She says not much support is given by the government to help make market available for people like her.
Hilda Jimati and her sister Mary make these crafts out from tapa, made from bark strips of specific trees that are found mainly in the villages of Oro Province.
Hilda then proceeded to show us the hat, bag and purse- some of the crafts she made out of Tapa.
Hilda does not only makes crafts from tapa, but she also plants trees that she makes tapa from.
She is married with 8 children and comes from Uiaku village in Tufi, the area that is famous for the production of tapa cloth in Oro Province.
She has been selling these traditional cloths for 14 years.
She sells tapa hats for K70 in Popendetta, and in Lae, they are sold for K50 and sometimes K40. The products are not sold everyday.
Hilda is calling on the government to support the industry and help make market available for them.
