Australian Diamonds netballer Liz Watson will be visiting the country this week to learn about the challenges facing young women in PNG.
Watson, from the Melbourne Vixens, will be here from the 7th-11th of this month and will be travelling with representatives from WaterAid and Netball Victoria.
Watson will meet with the PNG Pepes team plus the patron of Netball PNG and wife of PNG Prime Minister, Lynda Babao and firstly visit a WaterAid project at a school in Port Moresby.
Here Watson will play netball with the girls and discuss issues of water, sanitation and hygiene.
She will later visit communities in the East Sepik Province and maternal health facilities in Western Highlands.
Watson, who is studying to be a teacher on top of her netball commitments, said she is excited about her trip to PNG.
“I’m excited to be visiting PNG with WaterAid because the health and wellbeing of young women around the world is something I am extremely passionate about.
“Sport is a vehicle that encourages self-esteem and leadership, while water, sanitation and hygiene are vital to improving health, reducing poverty and ensuring girls stay in school,” said Watson.
WaterAid PNG country director Eileen Tugum said that WaterAid is using sport as a way to engage with communities in PNG about the benefits of water, sanitation and hygiene and to enable communities to demand better access to these services from their governments