The hip-hop dance team Wan Squad, who placed first at the World Hip Hop International Dance Championships while representing Papua New Guinea, has received congratulations from Prime Minister James Marape. Prime Minister Marape expressed his pride at the accomplishments and dedication of this group of young men, saying they had elevated Papua New Guinea on the international dancing scene. "I spoke to the young people at the NCD Youth Summit & Expo on Monday of last week, emphasizing the value of pursuing your passion and dedicating yourself to it.” “Wan Squad is the perfect example of this. They did not wait around for some- one to come and spoon-feed them, but found something useful and positive to engage in, committed themselves to it, and have gone on to beat the best in the world. “Hip Hop dance, music and culture is African American in origin where the music was started as a response against drugs and violence in America. It is special that our boys have gone to beat the best in the world on American home soil, the home of hip hop." “I commend them for their commitment to their craft, for working hard, and getting the recognition that they deserve.” “I also commend their sponsor Pacific Industries Ltd for its support of our boys.” “Papua New Guineans have the potential to be good in anything they set their minds to - we have pilots who are flying with some of the best airlines in the world, scientists, and professionals who are excelling in their respective fields and working in the country and overseas. “We can be anything we want to be if we commit time and effort into what we do.” “Well done, Wan Squad.” Meanwhile, the Wan Squad team will arrive back in country tomorrow, Wednesday 21st August 2024.

Together with Nasfund, Buk bilong Pikinini (BbP) released a reader yesterday titled "When I Grow Up, I Want to Be an Accountant." Children came dressed as their dream careers for the occasion, which was held at BbP's 6 Mile Library Learning Centre (LLC). At the launch were miniature professional Thapau Clement wearing a matching Nasfund outfit and Nasfund role model Netanya Stanley, who inspired the kids in attendance. Young readers were given the opportunity to learn about accounting through enjoyable and instructive exercises during the event, which featured a variety of engaging financial literacy activities guided by a team of Nasfund professional accountants and financial advisors. “When I Grow Up, I want to be an Accountant” is a level 4 Buk Bilong Pikinini Reader, which delves into the work of an accountant, explaining to students that an accountant is a person who keeps track of money, including how much is coming in and going out of a business or an organization. Nasfund role model Netanya Stanley who works as an accounts officer in the Finance Division of Nasfund, encouraged young readers to persevere in their education to reach their chosen profession in the future. “If you love numbers, you will love accounting.” BbP Vice-Chair and Founder, Anne-Sophie Hermann expressed her gratitude to Nasfund for their long-term support to BbP. “Through their provision of an office space since 2010, BbP has been able to grow to serve thousands of children in our LLCs with a comprehensive Early Childhood Literacy program every day.” “With the addition of the reader, we launched today, we can work together to provide young children with an opportunity to become financially literate from a young age, which will allow them to learn to look after their families well and save money for the future.” The WIGU series, now comprising 25 books, offers children a glimpse into a wide variety of careers they can aspire to pursue. With plenty of visual cues and learning activities, each book in the series assists students in understanding various themes, professions, and courses. Favored by both educators and learners, these publications present vocations in Papua New Guinea that are both necessary and attainable. These books give a lot of kids a great chance to learn about careers that they might not otherwise hear about. The series inspires young people to have big dreams and understand the value of education in reaching their objectives. In addition to being a great reading resource, the WIGU series enhances students' understanding by teaching them about financial literacy, PNG culture, history, jobs that focus on the community, health awareness, agriculture, and wildlife conservation. Leanne Resson, BbP Executive Officer stated that it was vital for young children to have role models to aspire to so they can understand the importance of education and see themselves in professional roles they may otherwise not have thought possible. “BbP publishes books with and for PNG’s children and we could not be more grateful for Nasfund’s support to create this vital financial literacy reader.” Nasfund has been a proud Platinum partner of BbP since 2010, supporting the charity through various initiatives, including the WIGU book series. This partnership highlights Nasfund’s commitment to investing in the future of PNG by supporting educational programs that inspire and empower the nation’s youth.

The Bomana Police Dog Unit had the honor of showcasing their officers’ training in dog handling at the 2024 RSPCA Dog Show, on Saturday 17th August, at Ela Beach, Port Moresby. A total of seven handlers brought with them their furry friends to showcase feats of athleticism, obedience, illegal item identification and dog tricks. The trained dogs had specific jobs of drug sniffing, bomb/explosives sniffing, firearm identification and general purpose. They started off with obedience training in which the dogs were given verbal commands of sit, stand, down and heel; after successfully following the commands, they were rewarded with a moment of play with their handlers. Later, officers demonstrated how dogs help in identifying illegal items by carefully concealing tiny samples of marijuana within the dog show obstacle course which was successfully found by the police dog, Astro and his handler, Constable Edward Baimba. Finally, the handlers got their dogs to showcase their athleticism by jumping through obstacles (hoops). The ultimate test was when the hoops were set on fire, which was passed in flying colors by Muno, one of the oldest dogs on the team. The RSPCA Annual Dog Show is not only about celebrating the bond between owners and their pets, but also gives information on the best and appropriate care for animals.

SP Brewery conducted a Responsible Service of Alcohol Training (RSA) with 18 individuals from the Australia Pacific Training Coalition (APTC) on Friday 16th, August, individuals with experience working in the tourism and hospitality sector. The training was done with the purpose of informing and educating participants on the how's and why's of serving alcohol safely to consumers. SP Brewery's Corporate Affairs Manager John Nilkare welcomed the participants enthusiastically and spoke on how they would benefit from this training. "While working in your respective areas you may come across some of our customers, and they wish to have trained and experienced individuals engaging in safe alcohol service." He further encouraged the participants to ask a lot of questions in order to gain more knowledge about SP Brewery. The students were later briefed on the brewery's safety procedures, which was led by SP Brewery's Safety Manager, Geraldine Makui. Afterwards, they were taken into the brewery for a tour. During the tour, participants experienced first-hand the processes involved in producing alcohol. After the tour, selected employees of SP Brewery were tasked with educating the 18 individuals on various topics concerning alcohol. Topics included, the history of SP Brewery, it's products, different types of alcohol, the side effects of alcohol, how to engage with drunken customers and further safety procedures. Participants were given the opportunity to practice serving beer before actually serving the staff of SP Brewery later on as part of their training.

Enga Governor Sir Peter Ipatas announced a commitment of K10, 000 towards supporting the recently held Malamata Yapo Cultural Festival. The funding will help in maintaining the newly revived Malamata Yapo Cultural Centre. He emphasized in his speech the value of cultural events in determining community needs and providing services. "We can identify community needs and deliver services more effectively through these cultural festivals." The governor commended the National Cultural Commission for reaching out to isolated places that frequently lack access to government services. "The National Cultural Commission is committed to working with rural areas to deliver cultural services and programs, and we are making great progress in this regard by reaching out to them." He also outlined plans to assist children from Malamata and nearby communities attend nursing and teachers' colleges which will enable them to serve their communities in the future. He also outlined plans to start air services from Wapenamenda to Malamata through a partnership with Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) after the airstrip fence is finished. In order to help maintain the school and build student housing for the children from the area's farther-flung villages, Governor Ipatas also bought a walkabout saw mill. He promised K200,000 last year, and he still plans to contribute K200,000 to the community school and other initiatives. Meanwhile, Mr. Steven Enomb Kilanda, Executive Director of the National Cultural Commission, underlined the importance of culture in spurring economic growth and drawing necessary services to remote communities. He called on the Malamata community to maintain the cultural center and take charge of the ongoing projects.

Reggae fans, get ready to spice up your playlists! Prominent worldwide recording and touring musician Anslom has teamed up with legendary The Wailers multi-instrumentalist and producer Aston Barrett Jr. for his upcoming track "Release the Birds," which will be released under the renowned Kingmaker label. The much-anticipated song will be released on Friday, August 16, 2024. With his electrifying performances and his unique brand of reggae that draws heavily from the best in the genre—Bob Marley & The Wailers, Peter Tosh, Toots and the Maytals, Inner Circle, Chaka Demus & Pliers, and Lucky Dube—Anslom's talent has swept across five continents. "Release the Birds" is an additional chapter in Anslom's remarkable career journey. The much awaited "Make Me Smile" song, which is predicted to become a huge global smash, is a duet between Anslom and Jamaican reggae superstar Chaka Demus off their upcoming album this year. Reggae music lovers can stay upbeat by interacting with Anslom on his different digital channels.

This year the 2024 PNG Update, to be held at the University of Papua New Guinea’s Waigani campus on 21–22 August, is promising to once again showcase some of the most important research conducted within the country. Attracting over 1, 500 people, the annual event brings together academics, policy makers, business, civil society and the public to hear about research on key development issues facing the country. Jointly organised by the University of Papua New Guinea’s School of Business and Public Policy and the Australian National University’s Development Policy Centre since 2013, the event has developed a reputation for featuring high quality policy-relevant research. Dr Lawrence Sause states that he’s seen first-hand the impact these presentations have had, with politicians, senior bureaucrats, and civil society leaders engaging with ideas that have subsequently shaped their own work. “The PNG Update is a UPNG ANU partnership committed to showcasing the most important and cutting- edge research to help improve policies, advocacy and practice in the country.” Given the importance of stability for social and economic development, this year’s theme is “Securing a stable environment for growth and development.” The Update will be officially opened by Prime Minister James Marape, a regular face at the conference in recent years and an ardent supporter of research and development, regularly inviting PNG researchers for their input into Government policy making. One unique aspect of PNG Update is the active support from leaders with different political orientations. This year will be no different, with Thursday morning’s sessions beginning with addresses from member of the Opposition Allan Bird, the East Sepik Governor and by Francesca Semoso the MP for North Bougainville. The conference will also feature two plenary sessions: one on PNG’s medium-term economic outlook and the second on security and geopolitics in the region and its implications for PNG. This year there will be over 70 presentations from researchers from across the country and the region. Along with the afore mentioned leaders, they will be joined by senior diplomats – including Australia’s High Commissioner Mr. John Feakes – and academics, with PNG’s Acting Vice Chancellor, Dr Cecilia Nembou, and Chancellor, Robert Igara, along with Director of ANU’s Crawford school, Professor Janine O’Flynn providing opening remarks. Conference co-convenor Associate Professor Grant Walton from the Development Policy Centre at ANU, who has been involved with the conference since 2015, states that the PNG Update just keeps getting bigger and better every year. “It features an amazing array of mostly Papua New Guinean scholars presenting policy relevant research on a range of critical issues facing the country.” Topics covered range from family and sexual violence in PNG, teaching and education, agriculture and forestry, labour mobility and the impact of its various schemes, politics and governance, climate change, sorcery and gender, land issues, and many more.

Ambunti District, East Sepik came alive in early August, celebrating the annual Sepik River Crocodile Arts Festival – an event showcasing the location’s rich arts and culture. This year, the festival celebrated its 16th anniversary after first being established in 2007 by the Wildlife Fund (WWF) in collaboration with the National Cultural Commission (NEC) who later handed the festival to the District Administration and the Provincial Government after five years. The festival was initiated with the intention of raising awareness about crocodiles and their habitats, promoting tourism in the Sepik region, and supporting economic growth. The festival featured traditional dances, music, and skits performed by the people of Ambunti and neighbouring villages highlighting Ambunti’s diverse art and culture. Present at the event was Prof. Joseph Sukwianomb (the President of SRCAF), Mr. Benjamin Gawi (Vice President of SRCAF), representing Mr. Steven Enomb Kilanda, the Executive Director of National Cultural Commission, Mr. David Taim (Executive Manager of Festivals, Events, Cultural Services & Arts Industry) and Ms. Shiva Lynn Burgos (Founder of The Mariwai Project). Taim expressed his appreciation to the people of Ambunti for their efforts in making the festival a success. “Festivals are now a platform that we use to raise awareness and advance our culture.” "Folks attend festivals in order to observe, learn, and have an experience.” "That is the location of the transfer of cultural knowledge." The festival's official opening speaker, Lynn Burgos, stressed the importance of Ambunti having an Arts Center. She proposed using it as a community café, a space for teaching and learning, a location to welcome artists, and a place to sell art. "I believe that Ambunti needs an arts center where everyone in the community can benefit from learning how to make art, teaching, having other artists come to visit, having an art gallery for sales, and having a cafe." In addition, Taim announced that the National Cultural Commission would donate K5,000.00 to the festival in order to further its goal of conserving and advancing the arts and culture of the nation.

In a landmark partnership aimed at addressing the critical issue of low literacy rates in Papua New Guinea, Lae Biscuit Company Ltd has collaborated with Buk Bilong Pikinini to establish a new library learning center in Lae, Morobe Province. This initiative underscores both organizations' commitment to community development and educational advancement. There is an urgent need for sustainable solutions to uplift the nation's educational standards as literacy rates in Papua New Guinea are at a concerning 63.5%, the lowest in the Pacific region. Buk Bilong Pikinini, has long been at the forefront of this mission, improving literacy among children. The collaboration with Lae Biscuit Company Ltd marks a crucial step forward in these efforts. Lae Biscuit Company Ltd, through the Chow Foundation, has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to giving back to the community. This latest venture reflects their core values and the foundation's ongoing dedication to making a positive impact. By providing the resources necessary to establish the new library learning centre. The project scoping commenced earlier this year with consultation of 5 elementary schools in Lae, Morobe Province prior to the selection of one school to set up the early learning centre. Schools consulted were St Philip Lutheran elementary, Butibam Elementary, Yanga Elementary, Four Mile Elementary & St Steven Elementary school in which St Steven Elementary school was selected based on project scope criteria. Managing Director and CEO of the Chow Foundation- Mr John Chow who was present at the ceremony expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership and hopes for the positive impact it will have on the community, especially for the children. “The Chow foundation believes in the power of education to transform lives, and we are committed to supporting initiatives that provide children with the tools they need to succeed.” “This library learning centre is a testament to our dedication to community development and our belief in the potential of every child.” “We are investing in the future of Papua New Guinea’s children and supporting Buk Bilong Pikinini's mission to create a literate and empowered generation.” “The new library learning centre in Lae will serve as a beacon of hope and opportunity for countless children in the province, providing a safe and nurturing environment where young minds can explore the joys of reading and learning.” “The centre will be equipped with a diverse collection of books, educational materials, and resources tailored to enhance literacy skills and foster a love for reading among children.” “We are proud to partner with Buk Bilong Pikinini in this crucial endeavour and also thank the 5 schools who participated in the initial scoping of this project, the Provincial Division of Education office, St Steven Elementary Board of Management and the school representatives and everyone involved.” John Chow also highlighted the importance of addressing the literacy crisis in Papua New Guinea. "Improving literacy rates is essential for the growth and development of our nation. By working together with Buk Bilong Pikinini, we are taking a meaningful step towards creating a brighter future for our children." Leanne Resson, Executive officer representing Buk Bilong Pikinini, also stressed the important collaborative spirit and shared vision of the initiative with The Chow Foundation. The 5 consulting schools in Lae who were part of the initial project scoping will be donated a school library kit each to support the schools learning. The school library kit is made up of over 1,000 books per school which consists of; 200 Teacher reference books materials, 250 Picture books, 250 Books for children ages 6-12, 100 Readers (for emerging readers), 90 nonfiction books, 100 advance readers books, 10 dictionaries, Atlas & Encyclopedia and 13x BbP readers books - when I grow up series.” Anne-Sophie Hermann, Buk bilong Pikinini Founder and Vice-Chair expressed her delight in this partnership with Lae Biscuit and the Chow Foundation. "We are pleased to be partnering with Lae Biscuit and the Chow Foundation to be serving more Lae-based communities with our Early Childhood Education program as well as Awareness, Inclusive Education, After- School and Digital programs.” “We have witnessed a great demand from parents for our programs in Lae and will look forward to being able to cater for this most urgent demand.” “Children who have attended BbP’s program for one year enter school with confidence and are able to achieve great academic results thanks to their foundational literacy.” The groundbreaking ceremony, held at St Steven Elementary School in 3 mile, Lae was attended by representatives from the Chow Foundation, Buk bilong Pikinini, Morobe Provincial Education office and the St Steven elementary school board, teaching staff & students. The partnership between Lae Biscuit Company Ltd through the Chow Foundation and Buk Bilong Pikinini represents a shared commitment to fostering education and literacy in Papua New Guinea. It is a powerful example of how partnerships between corporate entities and non-profit organizations can drive positive change and create lasting benefits for our communities.

Papua New Guinea’s Hip Hop dance sensation WanSquad recently took gold at the 2024 World Hip-Hop Dance Championships putting PNG on the map. In an exclusive interview with PNG HAUSBUNG, the crew was still in the process of recovering from their epic win on Saturday August 10th (Arizona, USA Time). WanSquad’s Manager and Creative Director, Pyan Ng, stated that this was their fourth year competing in the World HipHop Dance Championships. “We sacrificed a lot coming into 2024, we we’re confident that we’d be placed in the top 3.” “We had rehearsals 4 days a week; 3-4 hours of practice; we started in January prepping for this event.” The group had also faced quite a few challenges in their journey towards the Dance Championships including health, personal, familial and work issues. “I think it's part of the experience when you're working towards something, the journey is not always perfect." "These challenges really tested our faith, our work ethic, our brotherhood and our connection with each other, yet in spite of it all, we pushed through and made it through to the finals." Additionally, the crew revealed that most countries competing did not have any knowledge of Papua New Guinea, until WanSquad participated in the competition. WanSquad would like to thank their major sponsors Mountain Dew and Indomie for their support and the people of the Pacific. "We wouldn't be able to participate in this competition without their sponsorship." "We'd also like to thank our country, our families, friends and to all the Pacific Islands that are supporting us." Ng added that the crew wants to be a positive influence and role model for youngsters with similar dreams. "We'd like to inspire, motivate and encourage those who always wanted to step into the hip-hop international world stage to compete and represent their country and people - we'd like to see more participation not only from PNG, but from other Pacific Islands as well." WanSquad advises any person who is interested in getting involved in hip-hop and the dance scene   to work alongside like-minded individuals. "You should keep company with individuals who share the same mindset as you - these trustworthy individuals will propel you to achieve your dreams and goals." "Keep in mind that these things require sacrifice and hard work." "Be patient when your dreams don't come into fruition quickly as God has his own timing." "Be persistent and never give up!" WanSquad will return to the country on August 21st, 2024.

The 2024 Inaugural Youth Summit reached its 3rd day on Monday 12th August, 2024. Under the theme: Empowering Youths for a Better and Progressive NCD, the summit was an initiative by Governor for NCD Powes Parkop aimed at inspiring, discussing ideas and bringing more opportunities young people in the nation’s capital. Present at the summit was Governor Parkop, Resident Coordinator UN, Richard Howard and Prime Minister James Marape. While speaking, PM Marape stated that education still remains the number one pursuit among youths. He added that it was his goal to see any student left behind in their school journey. “We want every youth to make it to Grade 12, in order to do so, we have opened up many paths to get you there.” He further encouraged the youths who may face difficulty obtaining employment saying that getting a job is crucial, but they must be innovative and create their own jobs whether they complete school or not. “Life is not measured by university degrees.” He also commended the NCD Governor for the initiative and for working with youths in the city. Meanwhile Governor Parkop stressed the importance of youth in the country’s development. “It is good to have young people together as they bring their energy, creativity and new ideas into the city.” Presently, young people and adolescents make up 60% of PNG’s total population.

The Voice Inc (TVI) is pleased to welcome Professor Matt Andrews from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government to Papua New Guinea (PNG) for a week of public policy dialogues with local leaders. During the past three years, TVI has collaborated with Professor Andrews and his Building State Capability (BSC) team at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, offering their flagship public policy reform program, the Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA) course. In addition to being a first for Harvard University, Professor Andrews' visit to PNG is also a first for himself. As part of TVI's Local Leadership and Collective Action Program (LLCAP), which assists a network of local leaders working on public policy reform and implementation, Professor Andrews has a packed week of events planned. Tuesday's roundtable discussion on province to national policy implementation will be facilitated by Dr. Eric Kwa, Secretary of the Department of Justice and Attorney General (DJAG), in collaboration with frontline SARV agencies from Kundiawa. After that, Mr. Joe Itaki, Director General of the National Youth Development Authority (NYDA), will conduct a discussion on youth law and policy. The Wau-Waria district office and the Digicel PNG Foundation, which both focus on early literacy, will host Professor Andrews on Wednesday. In addition, Professor Andrews will introduce teams from DJAG, NYDA, and civil society in the third cohort of his renowned PDIA course at TVI. These teams, under the guidance of TVI and the Harvard BSC Team, will finish a demanding yet useful 12-week course. Ms Maliwai Sasingian, Executive Director of TVI, explained that they want their local leaders to access the best mentoring and ideas the world has to offer, hence why they decided to work with the Harvard Team. “Their approach, problem driven iterative adaptation, or PDIA, has proven successful in more than 100 countries around the world and is already showing results here in PNG.” Other significant events during Professor Andrews' visit include the Wednesday evening graduation of TVI's second cohort of Development Leaders, who successfully finished the PDIA course, and a public policy dialogue on the topic of Sorcery Accusation Related Violence (SARV) at the University of Papua New Guinea. TVI is honoured to arrange Professor Andrews' visit and to foster meaningful conversation with its local leaders, who are leading the way in tackling some of the most important problems facing the country. TVI is proud of the work it has been able to do through its PDIA course with the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.