Saturday the 21st of May 2022 saw the first ever World Cultural Diversity Day been celebrated at the Moresby Arts Theatre. National Cultural Commission (NCC) Marketing Manager Mr David Taim said, since the acceptance in 2001 through the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNSECO), NCC hosted the country’s first ever World Cultural Diversity Day under the theme: “Celebrating the World’s Cultural Diversity in Unity”. He said, "given the fact that PNG is so culturally diverse, we want to use this day as a platform to promote peace through culture, art through creative business industry, entrepreneurship and eliminate poverty.” On Saturday, they saw performances from a total of six cultural groups and one global contemporary music group from Weimog Rock- Jazz & Blues. Mr Taim said, through NCC they see this day as a very important day for PNG given our cultural diversity. “This is the first and we intend to promote and make this event bigger and better by next year by including all their stakeholders and the global community leaving in Port Moresby to come and celebrate our differences as one," said Mr Taim. Furthermore, Mr Taim said, this will become an annual event for NCC in the years to come to promote cultural diversity in Port Moresby and across to the other provinces as well.

The UPNG Student Representative Council held its projects fundraising dinner on Friday night at the Dynasty Seafood Restaurant for its 6 major projects to be carried out later this year. UPNG SRC President Melvin Tinol said, for this year they have embarked on 6 projects. In honour of the Late Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare a monument will be constructed within the campus, along with the 5 other projects as follows: • Research Incentive program • UPNG Journal Publication • Generator for the Medical faculty • Female Dorm Sanitary Bins & • Reserve Water Tanks Tinol acknowledged the sponsors for their support toward the University SRC’s incentives toward their 6 projects and hopes to see the UPNG Administration coming on board to help assist with the projects. UPNG Vice Chancellor Pro. Frank Griffin also acknowledged everyone for participating in the projects fundraiser, especially the public, family and friends for supporting the student’s incentives toward their projects. The Vice Chancellor said since 2016 the SRC was inactive and was re-established last year. He added that, “they (the SRC) did not have a full team but in the space of 2months, the SRC was able to come up with this idea of fundraising to help fund their projects”. “They have gone out of their way to put together this event in a space of two months. I commend the leadership and the energy put in to get the right sponsorship and support to make it happen and so hats off to each and every one of you for being the drive for what has happened now,” Tinol said. Pro. Griffin has reassured the members of the SRC that his administration stands ready to partner with the students to accomplish their objectives no matter what. "The University of Papua New Guinea does not receive any form of funding when it comes to goods and services." "Funding received from the government goes into paying for salaries." According to Pro. Griffin, when budget is handed down there are 2 components, one is the Recurring Budget and the other is the PIP’s. Though they receive little funding, the university makes sure that buildings within the campus are looked after. He further stated that, much of the resources they receive for their goods and services come from the fees they collect from the students at the beginning of the year. “We have to prioritize in how we structure our expenditure plan to last the full 12 months of the academic year because majority of the resources that we receive for our goods and services comes from the student fees that we collect at the beginning of every semester," said Pro. Griffin.

Through their continued support over the years, Digicel PNG has yet again announced a three-year platinum sponsorship for the PNG Orchids and the PNG Kumuls respectively. Digicel Senior Vice President Lorna McPherson said they are proud to announce a sponsorship worth a little over K7million in the next 3 years as part of their Platinum sponsorship. Digicel PNG has been a proud sponsor for rugby league in PNG for over two decades and they continue to invest in the development of PNG’s local talent and the community nationally and now internationally as well. Ms McPherson said, “our commitment to PNG’s national sport is our commitment to you the people of PNG. The 3-year platinum sponsorship will be for both our national rugby teams the PNG Kumuls and flag bearers and the PNG Orchids.” As part of their platinum sponsorship, Digicel PNG announced that both the PNG Kumuls and Orchids will receive K1million each for this year along with K1.1million in 2023 and K1.2million in 2024. Ms McPherson said all players and officials of both national teams will be provided with over a hundred and fifty thousand kina worth of phones and WIFI devices and DATA services as part of the sponsorship. With their continued sponsorship over the years through promoting development and growth through grassroots rugby league competitions, kicking off with the Digicel Cup, PNG SP Hunters and now both the National Orchids & Kumuls teams. Ms McPherson said it is important for them to continue advancing into the development of the country through the sport of rugby league. She also added that both national teams have improved drastically over the years. “The PNG Kumuls is now ranked 5th in the world and the PNG Orchids is ranked 4th in the world which is a massive improvement for our teams,” Ms McPherson said. Meanwhile PNG Orchids Chairlady Okara Yogi thanked Ms McPherson for the timely effort and management for coming on board to help support both teams to get to the World Cup. “We will work in partnership and get our teams to go the World Cup and bring back the Cup to PNG,” Yogi said. PNGRFL Chairman Mr Sandis Tsaka expressed his gratitude towards Digicel PNG for making this milestone decision to make a significant investment for the code. “Digicel as we all know are not new to the game, they have invested in the sport over the last 20 years significantly across our 6 years of the game. From the grassroots to the national competitions and to the national representative team the Hunters, and now they’ve come on board to support both national teams for the World Cup and for this we are forever grateful to them,” Mr Tsaka said.

People in Western Highlands Province are being reluctant in getting the Covid-19 vaccine despite the set-up of new 7 testing sites in the province. Western Highlands Provincial PHA CEO Ms Jane Holden said people remain hesitant to get tested or vaccinated along with the booster because of the reduction in the number of reported cases. She said they are doing the best they can to educate the people on the importance of getting vaccinated before another Covid-19 variant hits the country. “We need to keep telling people the truth that without the vaccine, we run the risk of falling victim to another Covid-19 variant that could be more sinister than what we got at the moment with omicron," Ms Holden said. Currently, they have only fully vaccinated 7 and a half thousand people which is less than 3% of the population. Ms Holden said, since January, they have recorded a total of 822 cases of Covid-19 alone and 15 deaths. She added that, at the moment, they are only seeing 1-5 positive cases a week. Ms Holden said "Numbers will continue to strike because people are not coming forward for testing even when they are showing Covid like symptoms.” Other than that, like other hospitals in the province facing infrastructure problems, Western Highlands Province is also preparing plans to seek funding support to address some of the issues faced at their health center and clinics. Ms Holden said they are looking at opening more operating theaters for Mt Hagen General Hospital and are also looking at turning Tambul Krotna and Chinsley into district hospitals. “Plans for these projects have been completed and submitted and waiting for request for budget to start ground work," she said. Meanwhile, without good supply of medical drugs and other vital aid supplies to stock-up in preparation for the National Elections, the provincial health authority have gone through a meeting on how to manage their supplies during that period. Ms Holden says, in order to support the strategies they came up with, the orders of medical supplies need to be provided upon request. Failure to do so would mean there will surely be a problem for them especially during the NGE period. She says, there’s a possibility of an increase in the number of violence related cases that will be reported at the health center, but they are hoping that people will have a safe and fair free-violence election. Ms Holden further stated that, with more focus on COVID-19 now, Measles and Rubella cases have emerged in the province. Although, Western Highlands has completed 43% of the target population for the first dose of Measles, it has currently dropped back to 29% for the 2nd dose which is higher than the national average and shows evidence of a possible measles & rubella outbreak in the province. The PHA CEO said, "Starting next Wednesday, we are looking at a strategy to target Measles and Rubella vaccines to try and get those numbers back up to avoid an outbreak in the province.”

Although Gordons Clinic here in the Nation’s Capital did not carry out any programs in-line with the World Immunization Week that falls on the 24th-30 April, health staff made sure that their normal immunization programs at the clinic continued. According to Gordons Clinic Officer in Charge for Family Planning Sr Eda Ratu, their normal routine immunization, runs from Monday to Friday according to the review dates. “We get about 100-150 mothers a week who bring in their babies to be vaccinated, which is really good because they are aware of the diseases caused by unvaccinated babies, that’s why, it is a must that all babies must complete their immunization,” she said. Apart from their normal immunization and awareness carried out at the clinic, they also talk about family planning and why it is important for a mother to know how to plan their families, so that she is able to bring in her baby at the right time to be vaccinated.  She said, “all mothers or parents must plan their families so that they will have a good number of children which they plan for.” “Especially here in PNG, it’s a common case where mothers have too many children and are not able to bring in their babies for immunization just because they are too tired and they don’t complete their routine immunization.” Sr Ratu stressed on the importance of awareness on family planning and routine immunization. She said hospitals, clinics, health centers and Aid Posts must ensure on making awareness on these because these two always come hand-in-hand. Meanwhile, the Clinic has seen a lot of parents who have brought in their children aged 5 years and below because of the flu virus. Sr Ratu said, it’s an everyday case for them at the center to treat and advise mothers on the best steps to take to care for their children. Currently, the clinical staff are encouraging parents to ensure that babies less than 1 year must be kept warm at all times and to stay away from dust. “For babies 3 months and above who are experiencing flu like symptoms, they can be steamed with herbs and given Panadol to treat fever symptoms. Children 1-5 years and below must be taken care of properly to avoid contracting serious diseases/sicknesses,” said Sr Ratu. She further stated that, if parents take care of their babies properly at an early age by doing home remedies and taking them for their routine immunization, this will help reduce diseases that are commonly caused by not getting those immunizations. Sr Ratu is urging parents to bring in their babies quickly to the clinics if they come across any signs of their babies having very high fever, shortness of breath, diarrhea or not breast-feeding well.

Testing and monitoring for Covid-19 is still ongoing for Western Province for the past two weeks now. According to Western Provincial Health Authority (WPHA) CEO Dr. Niko Wuatai, they have sent two teams from their Daru and Kuinga Hospital to carry out Covid-19 testing. Around the Mauridui area, they tested 5 people last week and results were negative along with tests conducted around the Mabruan area. The Western PHA have integrated a team with YWAM that are currently on the ground carrying out Covid-19 vaccination and the normal routine immunization vaccination for the province. Dr. Wuatai said, “They started 2 weeks ago around the Sigabaduru area were they managed to give the booster shots to many of the villagers there as well as the routine immunization for children." Drug supply throughout the country continues to be a problem for PHA’s however, Western PHA will continue its distribution of drugs around the province to make sure all have supplies. “The YWAM crew has already delivered medical drugs to Daru General Hospital and the Upiara area. More drugs will be delivered throughout this week to Morehead area and several areas of South Fly and Kuinga," Dr Wuatai said. He added that, because of the shortage of drugs, they spend around K90, 000 to procure drugs for their theater patients alone. “We also spend around a hundred and thirty thousand kina just for drugs that are not available at the Badili Area Medical Store where we get our drug supplies from," Dr Wuatai added. Meanwhile, the election period is always a challenge for hospitals in PNG as there are always continuous problems faced with the on-going shortage of drug supplies. Dr. Wuatai said, "it’s always a challenge to make sure that our facilities are well equipped and stocked up during this period in case of any accidents related to violence. “We will try our best to prepare for this up-coming National General Elections," said Dr. Wuatai. He also urged the people of Western Province to take extra care as it is challenging for them to procure drugs and other vital medical supplies like blood during this time and during the up-coming National General Elections.

PNG can expect Vodafone to be a true partner and a catalyst for change with the aim at empowering people, improving and enriching PNG lives, with this, they have committed a total of K5million into education alone. Vodafone PNG Chairperson Ms. Kalpana Lal said, they are indeed excited to be here and are thrilled to announce a K5million education fund to lend a helping hand to students who aspire to study technology and contribute to nation building. “We will work with relevant authorities to announce further details in the coming weeks and we will continue to support local communities, as we strongly believe in growing together and leaving no one behind”. [caption id="attachment_20965" align="alignnone" width="707"] Deputy PM Sam Basil flanked by Vodafone PNG's chairperson Ms Kalpana Lal (left) and Regional CEO Pradeep Lal (right).[/caption] Mr. Pradeep Lal, Regional Chief Executive Officer Vodafone said, they are finalizing strategic partnerships with local universities to recruit more than 200 graduate engineers within the next few months. “We pledge a solid commitment to continue with the graduate trainee program thereafter, to continuously provide opportunities to young graduates.” Apart from that, Vodafone PNG have currently employed just over 300 local fulltime and 500 local casual staff. [caption id="attachment_20966" align="alignnone" width="812"] Regional Chief Executive Officer Vodafone, Mr. Pradeep Lal[/caption] “As we expand the network, we will progressively increase fulltime head count to 1000, out of which 95% will be locals. We also indirectly support 3,000 employees through our dealer, partner, and recharge distributor networks”. He further stated that, as an inclusive Corporate, we are creating opportunities for our staff to upskill, further their education, build on their experience, especially with opportunities available across our Pacific wide operations and build exciting careers. Meanwhile, Deputy PM Sam Basil welcomed PNG Vodafone as this is in-line with the PNG government’s vision in making sure we have many players in the telecommunication industry in PNG. [caption id="attachment_20967" align="alignnone" width="787"] Vodafone PNG's Chairperson Ms. Kalpana Lal[/caption] Mr Basil said, PNG ICT’s Policy is focused on digital transformation to improve governance and sustainable competition. Market penetration in PNG is low and therefore there is room for a third player. “Access to connectivity especially affordable connectivity can transform lives just like the economies. So, Vodafone’s entry in PNG is expected to stimulate competition and increase market penetration, said Mr Basil.” With Vodafone on board now, Mr Basil said, they will generate a lot of opportunities for PNG, especially in infrastructure. And through the communication ministry and NICTA, they will now talk about number plotting, tower sharing and all those opportunities they never thought about just because of the third player “Vodafone”. “We will open up through our agencies, such as, NICTA and others to make it possible, said Mr Basil.”

The Digicel Cup competition was deferred by a week and now set to will kick off with round one at the different allocated venues on the 24th of April 2022. According to PNGRFL Competition Manager Ora Gairo, due to the Easter week and flights been fully booked, the organisation had a lot of preparations to handle before they kick start the competition. Digicel Cup Vice President Lorna McPherson said, Digicel PNG who is the proud sponsor of the semi-professional league competition since 2011 will remain committed to support the development of rugby league in PNG and continue to support and sponsor the local sports talents and our national sport through PNGNRL. “She said, as major sponsors of the Digicel Cup, we recognize the importance of the sport because it promotes discipline; it builds character and good sportsmanship on and off the field.” She added that, not only is it the Digicel Cup but more importantly, it’s the World Cup year for Rugby League and it is an exciting year for all of us. Competition Manager Mr. Gairo emphasized to all 12 participating teams that players must be fully vaccinated or at least get their 2nd dose before entering the fields. Mr Gairo said, they have been advocating for all players to get vaccinated on behalf of National Department of Health where all players must submit their green cards proving that they been vaccinated with the 2nd dose. He said with the National General Elections coming-up as well, this will be a major risk for the Digicel Cup competition. Mr Gairo stated that, they will be working around those risks and all players will be given a 2 week break prior to the National General Elections polling days to vote. “Games leading up to round 10 and after that will be assessed by the franchises relating to any form of violence, and decisions will be made to change venues for the games, he said.” PNGRFL CEO Mr Stanley Hondina thanked Digicel PNG for the continuous support towards the game because it’s the bridge for rugby league grassroots games to make it into Digicel Cup competition and eventually make it into the professional space of Hunters and Kumuls.

Buk Bilong Pikini (BbP) celebrated its 15 years of delivering Early Childhood Education (ECE) services all across the country. Executive Officer Leanne Resson said, it has been a humbling and rewarding experience to be part of this team. She added that the program has impacted thousands of children who are now performing well above standard at school and are well equipped with solid foundations allowing them to excel further at school. Buk Bilong Pikinini has a total of 20 Library Learning Centers in the country and 11 in Port Moresby with the mission to help increase literacy rates and improve education outcomes for children in PNG.  “The Early Childhood Education program is delivered free of charge to 5 year old children with two sessions every weekdays starting with the morning session from 8am-10am and the afternoon session from 10:30am -2:30pm." Ms Resson said that the content and teaching lessons are the same throughout the day and added that, this is to avoid overcrowding and basically help the kids have one-one sessions with the teacher. Kids attending the Tatana Buk Bilong Pikinini Library Learning Center have improved a lot with their pronunciation of words and speaking in English through the Jolly-Phonics classes. According to BbP Assistant Librarian/ Teacher Mr Goada Vagi, even though the school is near the city, majority of the kids can only speak a few English words. He said, "With the Jolly-Phonics program set-up, it has helped a lot with to teach the Motuan children on how to pronounce and say the words properly, even if it’s only a sentence.” In the past 2-years, BbP Tatana students have passed Elementary and advanced to the Primary level of education because of how they were taught during their Early Learning program set by BbP. Mr Vagi said they have been confronted by the Elementary & Primary Head teacher that students coming out of BbP are more advanced than the ones starting straight into Elementary & Primary school. He added that after the 1st or 2nd term, they move the ones who are more advanced to Prep or Grd1. “These are really good feedbacks and we continue to encourage parents to start off their kids here before entering Elementary or Primary Education," Mr Vagi added. Meanwhile, a small group of children at the Port Moresby General Hospital joined in on BBP’s 15th anniversary celebrations as well. Patricia Kowila the teacher for Buk Bilong Pikinini LLC at the Port Moresby General Hospital said, the program is a bit different because the kids are sick and most of them are not able to make it for the sessions.  During the celebrations only 4 kids from the children’s pediatric Ward C were able to join in on the celebrations. “She said, those who are not able to walk, she takes reading books, coloring books and other activities for the children to work on to keep them going and most of all to help the kids forget about the pain.” Also present was the Assistant Ward Manager for the Children’s Pediatric Ward 3C who acknowledged the efforts of what Buk Bilong Pikini has put in to help children in the ward with basic education services. Assistant Ward Manager for the Children’s Pediatric Ward 3C Sr Esther Pisoro said, they keep up to 30+ children who are infected mostly with TB and mal-nutrition that are referred from the 22 provinces in the country. She added that, those children who are kept at the hospital for more than 1-2 years under intensive-care are missing out on their education. “But all thanks to BbP, they have seen great improvements from the children especially with their grammar, speaking better English and their mental health," she said.

The Private Sector Development Initiative (PSDI) in partnership with BCFW together with other partners, launched the “Leadership Matters: Benchmarking Women in Business Leadership in the Pacific” report today at the Stanley Hotel in POM. The report aims to provide data and guidance for private sector businesses and organisations. Civil society development partners and governments to develop in business and ultimately, women’s leadership in all aspects of society. Executive Director of BCFW Evonne Kennedy added that, PNG has one of the lowest rates of gender equality in the world and not only is this bad for women and girls but also for businesses. “She said, this report is an excellent resource that informs us where we need to invest to create a fertile ground for the growth, performance and leadership excellence of women.” PNGID President Sharon Kupp Tendui made a call to action for business houses and other organisations to take measures or further set targets to support women into higher levels of leadership. “Women’s leadership is critical to social, economic and political development. That is why this report is important, she said.” “She further stated that, the women representation in our political leadership is and continues to be deplore. However with many social and economic advancements we hope that the launch today will provide the platform for business leaders, the government, stakeholders, all and key persons to start conversations of driving this agenda.” New Zealand Deputy High Commissioner Dr Nathan Ross stated that internationally, women are not represented in leadership roles, including the private sector. Deputy High Commissioner Dr. Ross said, globally women hold only 29% of senior management positions, 5.3% of board chair positions and 4.4% of CEOs. “This low levels of women’s representations internationally reflect a range of issues, especially outdated workplace cultures, systemic challenges and because of sexism and exclusion, he said.” But research shows that women entering or taking up leadership roles impacts positively on companies’ performance and results and this must be encouraged more in organisations, he said. From the data collected, out of the 274 organisations in the Pacific only 50 organisations in PNG took part in the data collection. According to Rosanda Kora from the Private Sector Development Initiative, in PNG, there is no women in Parliament, yet the report found that in the sample of 50 organisations, women held 19% of Board positions, 4% of chair positions and comprised 5% of CEOs. These figures compare favourably with global rates of representation but are lower than the pacific regional averages. She added that, In PNG and across the Pacific, social norms and organisational policies and practices continue to slow down women’s ability to assume leadership roles. Meanwhile, former Secretary General Pacific Islands Forum Dame Meg Taylor said, if we want this numbers to change, then we need to focus seriously into education. “We have to be innovative in terms of what systems we can set-up and to find a way to work with universities to get students engaged with senior leadership programs and to train them to take up those positions, she said.” It all starts with the younger generations, we need to educate them and equip them with the skills set and help them build that confidence to take up rolls like that once that complete their academic year.

Graduating with his diploma in Business Management during the Port Moresby Business College 35th graduation ceremony held at the Sir John Guise Stadium last Friday, Hosea Manas said he wished his mother was there to witness his special day. Hosea comes from a mixed parentage of East New Britain and East Sepik and is also a father to a beautiful little girl. He said it was really tough especially coping with parent-life and schooling at the same time. “Doing my studies and coming back home to being a father was quite a handful for me to deal with but it was all worth it and I am happy,” said the young father. During his exams last year in the month of September, Hosea lost his beloved mother which was the toughest and most difficult experience during his college academic year. It was in the week leading to the exams when he lost his mother and it was a very challenging time for him and his family. During the graduation last week, Mr Manas wore all black to show that he was still mourning the loss of his mother. “She was my firm foundation and my tower of strength. In fact, she was my everything. Her passing last year was really difficult for me during my studies but I managed to pull it off and graduate this year,” he said. Present at his graduation were his big sister Laisani Manas, his wife, daughter and aunt (mother’s small sister). Laisani said, “It was very challenging for the family especially with him welcoming a child and losing our mother at the same time but we all managed to pull this off and for that I am grateful.” “It’s very emotional to not have our mum here but we know that she’s up in heaven watching over us and witnessing his achievement,” Laisani said. Hosea is currently working as a temporary election worker specifically as a data processing officer and said with his experience and his diploma, he is planning to look for a more suitable full-time job which he can use to build his professional career as a college graduate.

Friday 1st April 2022 marked the 35th graduation ceremony for the 2021 graduating class of Port Moresby Business College at the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby. Port Moresby Business College Principal Mrs Carmela Mokulabeta congratulated the 539 graduands on completing their respective diploma courses. She said it is only fitting to celebrate the 2 years of hard work and effort each student has put in to make it this far. “Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it was not easy for the students and the teaching staff of Port Moresby Business College but they all pulled through and have come this far, she said.” Mrs Mokulabeta said she is happy and proud of her teaching staff that have stood and maintained their standard of delivering quality education to the students. She said, 2020 & 2021 were tough years for the college because most students were infected by Covid-19 or were just sick but despite of this, continued their studies at home with the online learning programs and the school also had the teachers on in-service to teach on modules. The school principal said, “Whether sicknesses or other circumstances comes your way, always stand up and strive to overcome them and that’s exactly what the school and students have done, through the graduation witnessed today.” Students were encouraged to return back to further their education studies with the first degree program to be offered by the school as of 2024 onwards. Mrs Mokulabeta said, as per the strategic plan launched in 2020, a first degree program will be offered most likely for accounting program because UPNG has already accredited their program in Diploma in Accounting. She added that they have already written a couple of diploma courses in preparation for the school to get the degree course. Meanwhile, many graduating students expressed their joy and happiness over the great achievement they had accomplished after 2 years of studies. Hosea Manas from East New Britain and East Sepik expressed his sentiments of joy and said he wished his mother was there to witness his special day. “My mum is my root and my everything, I owe it all to her. I wish she was here today but I know she’s happy and looking down with a smile, he said.” While giving her final remarks to the graduating students, Mrs Mokulabeta encouraged them to press on no matter what. She said, “I believe that you are willing and more than able to do anything and always allow God to be the centre of all your plans. When you face challenges, it’s an opportunity to redefine it and improve a particular process whether in the workplace or somewhere else after you leave today.”