DIGICEL SUPPORTS PNG COMMUNITIES

July 1st 2010 - Digicel staff and community members join hands for a better future

Thursday July 1st, 2010 – Port Moresby, PNG: Today Digicel staff, together with community members from 15 different settlement communities in Port Moresby, visited two Community Learning Centres (CLC’s) funded by the Digicel Foundation as part of the “Staff Adopt a CLC Programme”. 

Each department within Digicel has adopted a CLC under the “Adopt a CLC Programme” providing Digicel staff with an opportunity to support a CLC in their community. A total of 38 CLC’s have been rolled out across the country. These CLC’s or Community Resource Centres are funded by Digicel Foundation and given to marginalized communities in both urban and more rural areas to use as a community resource. Most CLC’s are used primarily as a pre-school as well as a place for young marginalized children to learn basic numeracy and literacy skills. In order to help make these CLC’s self sustaining the Digicel Foundation started a “CLC Sustainability Programme” whereby Digicel staff are encouraged to “adopt” a CLC in their community to support them to become more self sufficient. Under this programme CLC communities have also been offered a “seed” investment of K3, 000 each to initiate a sustainability project to help fund their CLC’s activities.

Today’s visits to the CLC at Mutinneo Pe-school in 9 Mile and to the Tembari Children Care CLC at ATS, demonstrated to other communities some already successful CLC projects including a poultry and piggery project at Mutinneo Pre-school in 9 Mile. The Mutinneo Pre-school asked their 90 pre-school students to look for sponsorship of 20 toea each to raise funds for the school. They managed to raise close to K900 which they used to purchase chicks to start a poultry project. The poultry project was so successful that they have now purchased two pigs to start a piggery project.

Founder of the Mutinneo pre-school Tirimo Zakemo said: “It is very encouraging to see people from the settlement like ourselves here today. We also started with very little but have managed to come a long way. Look what we achieved in just 2 years. We started with nothing and are now self supportive in running a pre-school with 90 children and three teachers. This is something you can all achieve!”

 Digicel PNG CEO and Digicel Foundation Board member, John Mangos comments:

 “All departments within Digicel have adopted a CLC within their communities and are encouraged to contribute their time and knowledge into helping a community learning centre develop to becoming self-reliant and more productive. It is great to see that there are community learning centres that are already self supportive and communities that are willing to share their experiences with others.”

“ It is important that we uphold our belief – As Digicel grows, the communities should grow as well”, he added.

 All communities are encouraged to use their CLC facilities, as a community resource for pre- and elementary school for the many children that are not attending basic schooling , adult literacy, skilled-based training, cooking and sewing for women, and HIV/AIDS awareness depending on the specific needs of the community. The Department for Community Development is also closely involved in the roll out of the CLC facilities. The Community Learning Centres will form a basis for the implementation of the Integrated Community Development policy whereby the Community Learning Centres can be used to help strengthen communities from the “inside out” with some support from the “outside” depending on the needs of that community.

The Digicel Foundation especially recognizes those communities that are active in helping themselves with the little resources they have. The Digicel Foundation’s main focus is to initiate projects that will provide opportunities and inspire a positive and vibrant future for the communities within PNG. The Digicel Foundation believes that as the Digicel Company grows, the communities in PNG should grow as well.

 To date the Digicel Foundation has funded 38 Community Learning Centres, 11 primary school and 16 elementary school infrastructure projects; three Mobile Health Clinics, four Meri Seif Haus projects and four Family Support Centres. The Digicel Foundation plans to continue the funding of community projects in the area of education aiming to support communities as they hopefully become more self-reliant in the future.