In Papua New Guinea’s Northern Province, the village of Isuga in Ijivitari unfolds a remarkable story, a tale of determination, connection, and the beauty of unexpected friendship.

Nichola Siwi, age 37, a dedicated worker of Ramu NiCo’s Basamuk Refinery, performs a marvellous job that provides comfort and friendship at first sight.

At first glance, one might wonder how Nichola, hailing from such a remote district, found her way to the bustling activities of Basamuk, a site known for its nickel and cobalt processing.

The answer lies in the quiet magic of modern technology. Thanks to the robust networking service provided by Digicel PNG, Nichola forged a connection that would change her life. She met Siwi Ombuno, a boy from Raicoast and a fellow worker at the refinery, through the phone.

The unlikely mobile phone friendship blossomed into something deeper, transcending the miles that separate their home villages and underscoring the power of communication in bridging distances.

Nichola befriended her husband Ombuno through mobile phone communication 5 years before she moved to physically see his face for the first time in 2017.

Ombuna was from Murundogo village in the inland of the Basamuk area where the Chinese owned world class nickel and cobalt refinery glimmers.

They got married right away and today the happy couple work for Ramu NiCo.

When asked how she felt living her family miles away to go live with a man she only met over the phone, Siwi responded, “We are thankful because Digicel connected us, Ramu NiCo provides for our physical needs and God provides for our spiritual needs.”

Both Siwi and her husband are active members of the Revival centres of PNG and loves going to church every Sunday.

Siwi said with the income that they earn from Ramu NiCo, they have enough to support their families and contribute to their church activities.

While Nichola’s primary responsibility at the refinery is ensuring that the workers enjoy clean and comfortable accommodations, her contributions go far beyond housekeeping.

She and her dedicated team take pride in their work, transforming ordinary camp spaces into welcoming homes for those who toil bravely in the mines. Each bed made and room tidied reflects their commitment to creating a comfortable environment—one that allows the workers to rest comfortably after long hours of labour.

On days when housekeeping duties are light, Nichola finds joy in nurturing the natural beauty surrounding the camp.

Armed with gloves and a cheerful spirit, she spends her spare time cleaning and weeding the vibrant flower gardens nestled at the base of the breathtaking Finisterre Range.

When she wears her Chinese straw hat, the heat of the sun is nothing to her.

Under her careful watch, the gardens bloom with colors that seem to dance in the sunlight, a brilliant contrast to the rugged backdrop of the mountains behind Ramu NiCo’s Basamuk campsite.

Each flower is treated with the care and gentleness one would reserve for a beloved child. “They are like my babies,” she says, her eyes sparkling with pride. “When I see them bloom,” she added.

Ramu NiCo is not just a company that is there to make profits but a company that exists to share wealth, resources and other services and benefits with local communities around its mining foot prints.

There were expressions that Raicoast people usually use to express or describe the lack of government basic services in their areas that go by “ Good night Raicoast or Raicoast back page”.

They used those expressions to describe the much needed services like good health facilities, good schools and infrastructures, economic empowerment, vibrant agriculture activities, good shipping and transportation and infrastructures like roads and bridges.

According to Siwi, Ramu NiCo has brought the light that Raicoast missed all these years.

She said Ramu NiCo has been assisting communities in Raicoast to build schools and supplying learning materials, building health facilities and supplying medical drugs and equipment.

Ramu NiCo also has SMEs and agriculture programs for local communities.

It provides yearly royalties to create wealth and financial sustainability among people living along its project corridors.

Siwi said Raicoast people are now owning dinghies, and other important household items like solar power equipment, generators, TV screens and owning good houses.

She said she is a luckywoman from Ijivitari or the lucky Oro butterfly that found love near Basamuk.

Thanks to Digicel PNG for the unfailing network that strengthened a love network and helped it bloomed inside Ramu NiCo’s beautiful Basamuk campsite.