UNICEF is set to launch a 34-episode Radio Drama Series tonight titled, “Changing the headlines” at the Hilton Hotel in Port Moresby.  The Radio Drama will be broadcasted by NBC as part of a communication campaign to promote social and behavioral change. Chief of Child Protection Program, UNICEF, Marianna Garofalo said that the radio drama is about ending violence against women and girls and to end domestic violence in families and communities. “Within this program, we are addressing the root causes that perpetuate violence against women, girls and children in PNG.” “Among other prevention initiatives, we have this radio and social media communication campaign to speak about violence and the impact of violence as well as what solutions can be brought forward.” Garofalo said that UNICEF decided to choose radio as their main media platform since majority of the population tune into the radio and radio has a wider reach in most areas in PNG especially the rural areas. She added that radio is the core of addressing their campaign followed by other platforms such as television and social media since majority of the young population are currently using. Garofalo said that from one of their previous campaigns, they managed to reach four million Papua New Guineans and hopes that after this campaign, UNICEF can have a lot of positive feedback from the communities. “Behind the scenes we have Leoshina Kariha, Henna Joku and we also have Terrence the singer. We have a number of people involved that are either involve in the music industry or the entertainment industry as well as activists in the field of human rights and gender equality and they have all accepted to support UNICEF and the United Nations in voicing stories of violence against women and girls.” Garofalo encouraged everyone to tune in on Sunday at 4pm on NBC radio and television to view the launching of the campaign and what it is about.

14 Senior Police officers who attended a two-day workshop this week on Human Rights at the Centre of Excellence (COE), Bomana outside of Port Moresby are now better equipped with the knowledge and skills they will require to handle human rights issues in their line of duty as law enforcing officers. The two-day workshop was hosted by The International Committee of Red Cross which mainly targeted Senior Police Officers in the Royal PNG Police Constabulary. Chief Superintendent Director Training COE, Perou N’Dranou, said that the purpose of the workshop was to inform the senior officers about their duties and responsibilities as leaders in dealing with human rights issues and how to manage it at the workplace and during their duty of care to the public. “There are two reasons why this workshop came about, one is teaching our leaders how to manage policy servicers according to the international policy standards. Secondly for leaders to understand leadership and how to command situation involving human right problems.” N’Dranou also stressed that this training is to ensure that the leaders are aware of areas where they lack in terms of their leadership roles and help them perform their duties better. He said so far that the workshop has had a good turn out and that they are hoping they will receive a good outcome from this workshop. “After a recap of the first day’s session and the brightness on the face of our officers and how they were working shows what they lacked in and were eager to learn from it.” “In training sense if you could change a person’s behavior through means of one word, experience, skill and attitude, that’s success and I’ve seen that in the face of my officers. N’Dranou concluded that the first day’s session was a success and he hopes for more positive feedback from the officers after completing the entire workshop program.

The Agmark Rabaul Gurias have lost with a 4 points difference against the Lae Snax Tigers in a clash on Sunday afternoon at the Lae Rugby League Oval. A disallowed try in the final minutes by the Gurias due to a forward pass, has set the tigers to take on the win, 20-16. Rabaul Gurias Coach Mr Marcus Kaugla said that the team delivered well, however, it was unfortunate that the they had lost the round. Kaugla was disappointed about the loss as the Snax Tigers took on the win under some controversy in round eight of the Digicel Cup. “The only thing that needs big improvement in the competition right now are our referees. The officials need to step up in a lot of game aspects as it’s really killing the game.” “If we are serious about improved standards at a national level than it starts with the referees,” Kaugla said. Kaugla expressed concern over this is as something that the responsible department must look into and fix. He said that apart from the loss, the team played well with most of the boys on standout performances including number seven, Mark Alunga who played off from the bench. Kaugla further advised that the Gurias have three more rounds to play before the competition enters into the finals’ playoffs. Image supplied

Tanaka Primary School in East New Britain, yesterday, officially opened a 4 in 1 double classroom, including an ablution block and a school canteen. Head Teacher, Mr. Kuki Sero, said the project was given to the school in 2018. “This project which values at K500,000, was funded by the former member of the Gazelle District Honorable, Malakai Taba,” he said. Sero said that in 2018, due to the over-crowding of students in the school, the school hall was used as a classroom to cater for four classes. Apart from the 4 in 1 classroom project, the ablution block which values at over K50,000 and the school canteen which values at K26,000 were both self- reliant projects. The opening of the buildings was witnessed by the District Administrator plus a number of dignitaries including the, the Provincial Education Advisor representative and other senior public servants. “I would like to thank our former Gazelle District Administration for making funding available for the much needed 4 in 1 classroom to our school. Now that we have finally opened our classrooms, our students and teachers will be comfortable especially in teaching and learning.” Mr Sero said. He further confirmed that students will now be moving into their new classrooms as of next week.

30-year-old Moses Joseph from Vakuta in the Trobriand Islands of Milne Bay Province, has had a passion for arts and crafts for as long as he can remember. His specialty lies in paintings and craft made out of coconut shells. Moses officially registered his business about a month ago under the name ‘Moseph Innovative Crafts’ and sells a number of hand-made crafts including, coconut earrings, coconut flower pots (with and without plants), mini coconut candles and paintings as well. At present, Moses operates from his home at Tokarara where he makes the items and delivers to his clients. The idea of starting a business came about when Moses couldn’t find a job quickly after graduating from university in 2015. “After completing my studies at Uni, I couldn’t find a job for a very long time so I thought to myself why not do something and work at your own time.” Moses added that being the eldest in the family, his motive was to provide for his stay-at-home mum and for his family. Moses who lost his father in 2018, suffered deeply from stress and depression as he recalled his father being the most favorite person in his life. It was then his sister and aunt encouraged him to move on by building something for himself and that was making different forms of crafts. “My sister who also has a page on Facebook called ‘Migileu’, encouraged me to go to the POM City Markets and my aunt who was really supportive of me, also encouraged me to look past all these struggles and do something for myself.” “I finally decided that I will eventually have to start standing on my own feet again and so took on the challenge of establishing a business and building it slowly but surely.” “It has been a month now since I officially started doing business and I am looking forward to the journey that awaits in the SME world,” Moses said.  Moses added that it is a wonderful feeling to have people who appreciate the work you create and do and who support your endeavors. His advise to young people is to find out where their passion lays and pursue them to create something for themselves which can help sustain them in the long run.

The Filipino Moni Plus Badminton Cup 2021 has kicked off last week Sunday, the 18th of July at the Filipino Association of PNG Club House in Gordons, NCD. According to the Commissioner of the Filipino Association of PNG Sports, Mr Arne Alfajardo, he said that there are sixty-six individuals participating in the various tournament categories namely, Men’s Open Doubles, Men’s B Doubles, Women’s Open Doubles and the Division C Doubles which is for the relatively new players of the sport. “The activity is being organized by the Filipino Association of PNG with Moni Plus being the major sponsor of the tournament.” “Other sponsors include Royal Papua Yacht Club, Bemobile, Goodman Fielder, Jaz Kakanin, Security Plus, 2K Medical Centre, Mix Travel, Life Gymnasium, Salcon Builders, Fuxions Printing, iPrintz, iFood Delish and Soulwara PNG,” he said. Mr Alfajardo also added that the organizers are optimistic to make the future of badminton tournaments bigger and better, including PNG Nationals not only in Port Moresby but also from other areas in PNG such as, Lae, Madang and Mt. Hagen. He further advised that the tournament will run every Sunday from 8am-11am for about nine weeks ending on the 12th of September 2021. Photos Courtesy of Filipino Association of PNG

The Agmark Rabaul Gurias have once again won another game last Saturday against Gulf Isou at the Kalabond Oval in Kokopo in Round Seven of the Digicel Cup Competition. Gurias Coach Marcus Kaugla said he was proud of the team for winning their first home game for this year. “The boys really performed well including Ilias Stanley who stood out with nine runs and two tries. Our forwards were all outstanding in both defense and attack.” Kaugla said regardless of the big win, the team still has more areas to work on during their trainings before they head in for their next game. The Gurias came out firing in the second half which set them to victory concluding in the final score 32-8 at full time. The team is now preparing to head in for their next game against the Lae Snax Tigers next week Saturday in Lae.

Gifted Hands is a clothing business brand that was established back in 2018 by a strong-willed and passionate individual, Alice Simeth Roger who hails from Malaguna # 1, East New Britain Province. Located at Gerehu in Port Moresby, it is a business that focuses on creating and selling their own branded clothing as well as conducting sewing sessions for PNG meri dresses, ladies’ shirts, men’s shirts, dress shirts and kaftans. According to 38-year-old Alice, the inspiration to start her own clothing business came after her mother’s passing in 2017. In 2015 though, Alice had to resign from her job to help take care of her ill mother who was being treated for Kidney Failure. Whilst taking care of her mother, Alice had to resort to other means of survival to help meet the costs of looking after her mother. She decided then that she would sew and sell dresses to support her mother during her time of illness and so this is what Alice set out to do until her mother’s passing in 2017. Throughout this period, her mother constantly encouraged her to seriously consider starting up her own tailoring business and sewing classes. [caption id="attachment_12333" align="aligncenter" width="910"] First lot of participants for the training on men's shirt and ladies dresses held in Port Moresby. Alice on far right.[/caption] The following year in 2016, Alice decided to start off her business, where she not only would sew and sell but would also offer sewing sessions every Saturday to teach basic sewing skills to mothers and young girls. Slowly but surely, her sewing sessions started getting recognized by her friends and family. Soon after she started, Alice realised that her sessions were starting to be on high demand and so she decided that she would conduct them on a weekly basis in Port Moresby and in other provinces as well. Alice first learnt to sew back in 2006 after she left school due to personal issues and wasn’t able to complete studies. Due to financial struggles, she had to raise her own funds in order to complete her education. Fortunately for Alice, she had learnt the life skill from an aunt of hers. Every day, she would watch her aunty cut out fabrics and then sew blouses. She would learn as much as she could from what she observed and soon after, started sewing her own meri dresses.  “Each night when I go off to bed, I would visualize the way my aunt cut the fabrics and sew many interesting designs. It was not long before I finally had the confidence to do it myself.” “As my confidence grew, I started sewing more and more blouses which I then started selling to earn money to help me return to school. “The money I earned, I saved up for school fees and bus fare to and from International Training Institute where I was studying.” [caption id="attachment_12332" align="aligncenter" width="838"] Shirt Session/Training in Port Moresby. Alice on far right[/caption] I completed my tertiary education in 2006 and the following year, God blessed me with my first job at NCDC and I held on to this job up until the time I resigned in 2015 to help take care of my mum,” Alice said. Despite the hardships she faced while trying to complete her education, her mother would always encourage her to pray and to learn from the mistakes that she made. Upon prayer, she was inspired by her mother’s words and did what she knew would create a successful path for her and that was sewing. Alice also learnt to start her business during a project - Skills Development Trust Funded, that was conducted during her time with NCDC. The project basically taught her how service providers sort out their sessions, plans, timetables and budgets plans. The skills she learned from this training gave her an added advantage to start her business. “My confidence and experience in my former job also helped me alot. With all these experiences and confidence, I applied them directly to my current passion which is sewing PNG meriI dresses (kolos). [caption id="attachment_12330" align="aligncenter" width="911"] Alice and her late mother in 2015[/caption] Alice concluded that it was her vision to continue to impact in a positive and influential way that has motivated her to impart her knowledge and skills to others. She now shares that wisdom and knowledge with other ladies out there who also have the same gift as her but are not sure of where and when to start. For any interested clients who wish to get in touch with her to purchase meri dresses or to enroll for one of the many sewing sessions that she conducts, she can be reached on her facebook page @ Gifted Hands or alternatively be contact on mobile 72581613.

Agmark Rabaul Gurias are all set to kick off their first home game this afternoon against Gulf Isou and are expecting a tough encounter from their visitors. Gurias coach Marcus Kaugla, said that they are all excited as this is their first home game in Kokopo for this year and they expect fans to turn up in numbers to support their home team. “From the team, we are preparing well and players are looking forward for their first home game after a while. We are expecting a strong game from Isou as they want to backup their last week's performance so as us.” Kaugla said that after winning last week’s game against Central Dabaris, the team have really picked up well so they expect this afternoon’s game to end well which has been the major talk at the moment. “Our completions have been good so far and we want to maintain that. Our attack previously have been really weak and we have really improved on that. So we expect to improve bit by bit in the remaining games. Kaugla added that Gurias have really improved a lot in terms of their training and expect this afternoon’s Round 7 game to be a success. “Basically, we went back to our basics and worked on our kicking game, so it’s really up to the players to get out there to execute what we have been training for.”

Mr Thomas Dedmai and Miss Catherine Lalen have been nominated by Madang Resort Hotel to represent the company as Mr and Miss Madang Resort in this year’s upcoming Mr & Miss Madang Charity Pageant formerly known in previous years as the Miss Madang Pageant. Both contestants will be working in partnership with the Madang Rotary Club in assisting to raise funds towards the Madang Rotary Club’s Project to purchase equipment for Madang Province's rural health facilities. Thomas currently works for the Melanesian Tourist Services Limited whilst Catherine is currently undergoing studies for a degree in Communication Arts at Divine Word University. [caption id="attachment_12077" align="aligncenter" width="825"] Thomas at forefront of photo, out on yet another diving session[/caption] The Managing Director of Melanesian Tourist Services Ltd (MTS) which is the parent company of the Madang Resort, Sir Peter Barter says that he is pleased to have both Thomas and Catherine representing their team in the pageant. “I think we’ve made the right choice as both contestants are truly outspoken and they are both intelligent young Papua New Guineans who will be able to capture the minds of many during the event.” “I personally know Thomas as he is employed by MTS and I know both Thomas and Catherine will be great ambassadors for the company,” Sir Peter said. [caption id="attachment_12078" align="aligncenter" width="854"] Miss Jossie Nicholas, winner and title holder of Miss Madang 2020[/caption] The pageant will take place on the 24th of this month at the Madang Resort, whilst the pageant's traditional category will be held on the 22nd of July also at the Madang Resort Hotel. Mr Dedmai and Miss Lalen together with their sponsors will be joining several other business houses, education and health institutions in this year’s first ever Mr & Miss Madang Pageant.

The Children’s Cancer Unit at Port Moresby General Hospital today received a number of donations from the CPL Foundation. Coordinator of the CPL Foundation, Regil Wanwanji, said that Port Moresby General Hospital is one of the many communities that CPL foundation has been supporting over the years. CPL has also been showing support by donating to other parts of the hospital as well. “We are very grateful to support the various communities. We have other hospital centres that we also take care of and we are proud to support.” The donations included food, stationaries and clothing. The donations were made through the appeal of the unit ‘Friends of POM Gen' who play a vital role of supporting and supplying to the hospital; Children’s Cancer Unit being one of them. Mr Wanwanji further advised that CPL foundation will continue to donate to the Children’s Cancer Unit every month as part of their community programs aimed at supporting communities.

St Charles Lwanga Secondary School has received a refurbished library, complete with e-library units from BSP Life yesterday, as part of the BSP Financial Group's community involvement project for 2021. BSP Life country Manager, Nilson Singh said as part of contributing meaningfully back to communities, this initiative focuses on education through the refurbishment of the school’s current library with the inclusion of an e-library and reading materials. [caption id="attachment_11875" align="aligncenter" width="623"] A student checking out the new books donated to the school. Picture by BSP[/caption] “We at BSP Life PNG Limited wanted to focus on education as part of our community project this year and that’s how we came with this initiative at St Charles Lwanga Secondary School.” “This project shows BSP’s commitment is not only to be the best financial service provider but we are ensuring that our customers and stakeholders are looked after from a community level up.” The refurbishment and e-library set up is worth K30,000. This includes four brand new PC units, a two year Nuinet subscription of 250GB of free educational material and additional books which includes both text books and reading books. Singh added that education is the most important investment a country can make and the library can now be hub of learning, bridging the digital divide and making a difference in the life of students. [caption id="attachment_11876" align="aligncenter" width="661"] Students testing out the newly installed computers and e-library software. Pic by BSP [/caption]