A manual entitled ‘Healthy Islands’ has been produced as a result of the partnership and will be distributed to the instructors and children involved in Just Play.
The guide includes information about such topics as personal hygiene, communicable/non-communicable diseases and education and is intended to raise awareness about the importance of healthy living and becoming an ideal citizen. Information regarding Just Play and its key messages is also included.
Director of Public Health Dr. Len Tarivonda is pleased to join forces with Just Play as he feels the OFC grassroots programme aligns closely with the ideals of his department.
“Just Play and the Ministry of Health will work together to provide children with the Healthy Islands manual and this is an important component of our initiatives,” Dr. Tarivonda says.
“The manual draws together examples of how Just Play has helped to improve levels of physical activity in local communities and delivers important health messages to Just Play children.”
The partnership also has the backing of the department’s Health Promotion Manager Jean Jacques Rory, who is looking forward to working in conjunction with the Just Play programme.
“This collobaration has our blessing and I believe that together we can build up children to become models for healthy living,” he says.
George Regenvanu, Just Play project manager for the Vanuatu Football Federation, is equally enthusiastic about the arrangement and believes it will have many benefits.
“Football has been ahead of the field in putting these healthy living messages into practice and recognising its role in influencing the lives of young players,” he says.
“But it is in reaching out to local communities that the sport can offer a unique contribution.”
Developed by the OFC social responsibility and technical departments, Just Play is designed for children aged six to 12 and promotes physical activity while encouraging community involvement and healthy living.
It was first launched in Tonga and is now also running in American Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tahiti and Vanuatu.
OFC is working closely with UEFA and the Government of Australia – through its agencies the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) and the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) – and Football Federation Australia (FFA) to roll out the programme across the Pacific over a three-year period between 2009 and 2012.
The confederation has also been working in New Zealand with Special Olympics (NZ) on a Just Play programme for people with mental disabilities and has launched the new initiative in Samoa and Fiji.
For more on Vanuatu football go to www.vanuafoot.vu

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