PNGFA pilots ‘Just Play’ programme in NCD

THE first batch of teachers and volunteers are attending a Just Play workshop at Papua New Guinea Football Stadium in Port Moresby.
Shelved due to mismanagement, the programme was revived under PNG Football Association president John Kapi Natto after it was seen as a very powerful medium to get messages across to schools and communities.
Just Play manager Christine Wamala-Uru said she was relieved to see the first phase of the pilot programme getting off the ground in Port Moresby.
The programme will be conducted in three areas of the National Capital District with Moresby North-West schools being the first, followed by Moresby South and Moresby North-East by the end of the month or next month.
The programmes are planned in conjunction with Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) Just Play office.
“I am very excited, and so are the teachers and volunteers,” Wamala-Uru said.
She said after the three-day workshop, the teachers and volunteers would become facilitators in their own schools or communities in Moresby North-West.
The programme will expand to other provinces, depending on the reports forwarded to OFC Just Play.
The provinces likely to come under the programme are Western Highlands, Eastern Highlands, Morobe, Madang and Bougainville. Former Just Play manager Margaret Aka welcomed the programme, describing it as a great initiative for children.
The initial programme ran from 2011-2019. Aka said the programme helped a lot of children and communities. Some of the children who went through the programme became volunteers of it with the programme suited for children between six and 12.