Using cricket for good in Papua New Guinea

ChildFund and the International Cricket Council (ICC) have announced a new sport for development partnership.

As part of its ongoing commitment to using cricket as a vehicle to raise awareness of important issues, and to contribute to development and social outcomes in communities, the ICC has begun working with ChildFund Australia on a pilot program in Papua New Guinea.

The pilot program – Cricket for Good with ChildFund – will be delivered in schools and villages in Port Moresby, and involves:

• the creation of an integrated cricket and life skills curriculum;
• intensive, in-country training program for facilitators in program delivery, with half of all facilitators being female;
• collection of baseline and endline data of participants and facilitators to measure and define pilot impact, and produce learnings for ChildFund and the ICC.

Jane Livesey, Development Manager – East Asia-Pacific, at Cricket Australia says: “Cricket for Good is the ICC’s global community outreach program and is focused on leveraging the vast power and reach of cricket to positively impact the lives of children and families around the world.

“This includes forging strong partnerships with internationally recognised community organisations, such as ChildFund, to create positive social change through the game of cricket.”

ChildFund Australia has significant experience in the implementation of sport for development programs.  ChildFund Australia CEO Nigel Spence says: “We are very excited to be working with the ICC to bring this integrated cricket and life skills curriculum to children and young people in Papua New Guinea.

“Well-designed sport for development programs are a proven way to achieve positive social outcomes, such as building resilience, youth leadership and gender equity.”