One of the things Australia also shares with PNG is a love of rugby league — a popular sport in Australia and a national obsession in PNG.
One aid program is using this obsession to reach out to children and young people and draw them into early childhood learning.
The Australian Rugby League is receiving $4 million in aid money to fund the League biltong Laif (League belong Life) program, a three-year project to teach younger children basic learning skills and older children respect, gender equality, discipline and life skills.
Mark Mom, a former national player for PNG, runs the program, and is using the fun of sport to encourage very young children into early learning in Goroka, so remote it cannot be reached from the capital Port Moresby by road. He also runs program in Port Moresby for older kids.
“We’ve seen over 10,000 children (so far) this year, over 15,000 last year,’’ he said.
Under the program, the children and young adults learn to play rugby, and receive life lessons along the way, mainly around boys treating girls with respect.
“All our messaging is about respect, depending on the type of audience,’’ he said.
“If we’re working with little kids we channel our respect messaging to parents, teachers, each other, look after your school mates.
“If it’s an older audience we’re more specific, respect for your mothers, ensuring they have a safe space.’’
The program also puts its money where its mouth is: 70 per cent of its casual employees are women, girls are told they can play league and union, and encouraged into playing, coaching and support roles.
“We want to lead the way on gender equity in our program through sports,’’ Mr Mom says.
“That was a great example of a program that works with partners like the NRL to attract the interest and enthusiasm of children in PNG and offer them educational opportunities they would never otherwise have had,’’ Mr Feeney, the Labor member for Batman, says.
“By mixing sport with contemporary learning we are able to offer preschool to kids in the Eastern Highlands of PNG who would otherwise be unable to access any education at all.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victor ... 7483469566
Remember Cos said AFL is big in PNG.......... :_<> :_<>
