MAMA’S HARDWARE: A MOTHER’S COURAGE, A DAUGHTER’S LEGACY
Jacklyn Passingan and her mother — a powerful symbol of family, resilience, and the women quietly building Papua New Guinea’s future.
Photo Credit: Images courtesy of Jacklyn Passingan.
In Papua New Guinea, strength is often spoken about loudly — in politics, in business, in leadership. Yet some of the most powerful stories in the nation are not told from podiums or boardrooms.
They are lived quietly.
Behind store counters.
In family businesses.
In the long days of work that build futures one decision at a time.
For Jacklyn Passingan, a Papua New Guinean woman based in Bomana in the National Capital District, life is not defined by grand titles or headlines. Instead, it is defined by something deeper — responsibility, discipline, and the legacy of a mother who dared to build something of her own in an industry where women were rarely expected to lead.
Her story is not simply about business.
It is about family.
And about the quiet, determined women who are building Papua New Guinea’s future every single day.
ROOTS IN A MALE-DOMINATED INDUSTRY
At 6 Mile in Port Moresby, tucked among the bustle of one of the capital’s busiest corridors, stands Mama’s Hardware — a business built not only on materials and supplies, but on years of courage, knowledge, and persistence.
The story of Mama’s Hardware begins with Jacklyn’s mother.
For more than 26 years, she worked in the hardware industry — a sector long dominated by men. During those decades she learned every corner of the trade: supply chains, customer relationships, construction materials, the realities of building and maintaining businesses in Papua New Guinea.
But while she was learning the mechanics of the industry, she was also observing something deeper.
Women were coming into the stores.
Women buying building materials.
Women organising repairs for their homes.
Women managing projects for their families.
And yet very few women owned the businesses serving them.
That observation planted a quiet but powerful idea.
“What if a woman ran the hardware store?”
What began as a possibility slowly grew into determination.
And eventually, that determination became Mama’s Hardware.
COURAGE BEFORE CAPITAL
In Papua New Guinea, many businesses are not born from large investments.
They begin with courage.
Starting a hardware business is no small task. The cost of stock alone can be overwhelming, with materials, equipment, and supplies requiring significant capital to keep shelves full and customers satisfied.
For Jacklyn’s mother, finance was one of the first major obstacles.
But it was not the only one.
The hardware industry relies heavily on trust — relationships built slowly between suppliers, builders, and customers. Establishing credibility as a new business owner, particularly as a woman in a male-dominated space, required patience and resilience.
“We had to build relationships with customers and prove that we could provide reliable materials and good service,” Jacklyn explains.
And slowly, through consistency and honesty, trust grew.
Today, Mama’s Hardware has become a respected part of the local business community, supplying building materials that help families construct homes, repair properties, and develop projects across Port Moresby.
But the journey is still unfolding.
As the business grows, the family continues searching for land to expand operations — a reminder that even success carries new challenges.
A DAUGHTER LEARNING BY WATCHING
For Jacklyn, the most powerful lessons did not come from business textbooks.
They came from watching her mother.
Watching the discipline required to run a company.
Watching the perseverance required to overcome obstacles.
Watching how leadership could exist alongside motherhood.
“The biggest lesson I learned from my mother is discipline and perseverance,” she says.
“Success doesn’t happen overnight. It comes from consistency, honesty, and treating people with respect.”
It is a philosophy that extends beyond business.
Because for Jacklyn, the story of Mama’s Hardware is not just about entrepreneurship — it is about the ability of women to lead both companies and families without compromising either.
Being a strong businesswoman does not mean forgetting the responsibilities of home.
It means carrying both with strength.
BUILDING MORE THAN A BUSINESS
Today, Mama’s Hardware supports several employees and their families — a reminder that small businesses are often the backbone of Papua New Guinea’s economy.
Every job created represents another household supported.
Every sale contributes to the building of homes, community projects, and local development.
But for Jacklyn, the meaning of the business is even deeper.
Supporting her mother’s vision is not simply a job.
It is a responsibility.
And a privilege.
“Helping manage the daily operations means continuing the work she started,” Jacklyn says.
“It means carrying forward something that was built through sacrifice and hard work.”
Working alongside her mother has also strengthened their bond in ways few relationships experience.
They are not just family.
They are teammates.
FAMILY AND BUSINESS — A BALANCE OF RESPECT
Family businesses can be complicated.
When professional decisions intersect with personal relationships, tensions can arise.
But in the case of Jacklyn and her mother, those challenges have created something stronger — mutual respect.
“Working together has strengthened our bond,” she reflects.
“There are challenges when family and business mix, but it has also created deep respect between us.”
Jacklyn admires her mother’s resilience.
And her mother trusts Jacklyn to help carry the business forward.
Together, they represent two generations of women building something meaningful — not just for themselves, but for the community around them.
A NEW GENERATION OF ENTREPRENEURS
While Jacklyn remains deeply committed to Mama’s Hardware, her entrepreneurial spirit reaches beyond the family business.
Together with her partner, she manages small side ventures — exploring new ideas and opportunities that allow her to grow as a businesswoman.
The inspiration is not surprising.
Growing up surrounded by business-minded parents naturally shapes the way one sees the world.
For Jacklyn, entrepreneurship is about possibility.
“It's about creating opportunities and learning how to build something from the ground up,” she says.
Balancing multiple responsibilities requires discipline — a skill she has learned both at home and in business.
The family company remains her foundation.
But her ambitions continue to expand.
“I definitely see myself helping grow Mama’s Hardware,” she says.
“At the same time, I also have dreams of building other businesses.”
Because growth, she believes, comes from staying open to opportunity while never forgetting where you started.
FASHION, CULTURE, AND CONFIDENCE
Beyond the world of business, Jacklyn carries another passion — fashion.
Not fashion defined purely by glamour, but by identity.
Her love for fashion developed gradually, shaped by the women in her life who carried themselves with pride and dignity.
Watching them, she saw how something as simple as a well-made garment or a beautifully woven bilum could transform a person’s confidence.
And in Papua New Guinea, fashion often carries cultural meaning.
When designers incorporate traditional bilum designs into modern clothing, the result is more than style.
It becomes storytelling.
“When fashion includes traditional elements like bilum designs, it becomes powerful,” Jacklyn says.
“It celebrates our identity while bringing our culture into modern style.”
For her, fashion is not about vanity.
It is about confidence.
It is about expressing personality, values, and pride in one’s heritage.
THE PRIDE OF BEING A PNG WOMAN
Jacklyn describes herself simply as a working-class woman.
But behind that phrase lies profound strength.
Across Papua New Guinea, working women are the invisible architects of the nation’s progress — balancing employment, family responsibilities, and community roles.
To Jacklyn, being a working woman is a badge of honour.
“It means resilience,” she says.
“It means knowing that my hard work supports my family and honours the sacrifices of the women who came before me.”
There is dignity in that identity.
Because every day, women like Jacklyn are contributing to the growth of their communities and the future of their country.
Quietly.
Consistently.
Without fanfare.
A MESSAGE TO YOUNG WOMEN
If she could share one message with young Papua New Guinean women, it would be simple but powerful.
“Believe in yourself and never be afraid to start small.”
Success does not arrive overnight.
It grows through patience, discipline, and persistence.
Support your family.
But also pursue your dreams.
Because both can exist together.
A LEGACY OF COURAGE
When Jacklyn looks at her mother’s journey — from decades of experience in a male-dominated industry to building her own business — she sees something bigger than entrepreneurship.
She sees proof.
Proof that courage can build opportunity.
Proof that determination can create change.
Proof that women can shape industries, families, and communities.
And she hopes their story inspires the next generation.
“I hope our journey shows that with courage, determination, and unity, it is possible to build something meaningful.”
Because in Papua New Guinea, the future is not only being built in government halls or corporate towers.
Sometimes it is built quietly.
In family businesses.
Between mothers and daughters.
One generation passing strength to the next.
And somewhere in Port Moresby, inside a hardware store called Mama’s Hardware, that legacy continues to grow.