After an extensive training course at the OFC Academy, Sanga has returned home to PNG with the knowledge and enthusiasm to launch the ENDviolence campaign in his country and drive its messaging throughout the OFC Nations Cup.
“Already we have managed to get Papua New Guinea National Soccer League players on board as ambassadors as well as a few players from the PNG national team,” Sanga says.
“Everyone is excited and looking forward to launching the campaign.”
Together with UNICEF Papua New Guinea, Sanga will coordinate the Urban Youth programme, training 200 unemployed youth to work as volunteers at the Nations Cup. This programme will be extended to the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, where a further 600 youth will be trained.
Sanga will also coordinate the Adopt-a-Team programme, where the participating national teams visit different schools and join in Just Play activities with the children.
In addition to the in-country programmes run by Sanga and PNGFA, important messages about respecting women and children will be shared by national players through films developed during the OFC Champions League in April.
OFC Head of Social Responsibility and International Relations Franck Castillo believes the films are key to reaching the audience of young children that ENDviolence is aimed at.
“I am very pleased with the work our Communications Coordinator Sophia Fromont has put into this campaign. Creating films that show national team players opposing violence towards women and children is the only way to influence the young generation of boys that the campaign is aimed at,” Castillo says.
“Children that do not have respect for women will not listen to a women telling them to change. They need to hear it from someone they look up to, and if these children are passionate enough about football to attend the Nations Cup then these national players will have enough influence to encourage change in the children.”
Soundbites, banners, and an ENDviolence flag will be used throughout the tournament, and at the Nations Cup final, the crowd will join the campaign, holding up ENDviolence red cards of their own in the stand against violence at half-time.
Sanga is confident about the success of the campaign and understands the importance of bringing these messages to Papua New Guinea.
“Many research papers have highlighted that violence in all forms has risen dramatically in recent years in the Pacific.
Papua New Guinea is no exception to this statement. People need to be educated on the rights of children and women,” Sanga says.
“The ENDviolence campaign is an important tool to advocate this issue which is currently affecting children and women in the country. To have it in place during the OFC Nations Cup and the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup provides the best avenue to reach masses of people.”
The ENDviolence campaign was developed by OFC in collaboration with UNICEF. It focuses on ending violence towards women and children through awareness campaigns which will be ongoing in 10 countries across the Pacific throughout 2016.

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