Media is powerful!
Acknowledging this, the department of Community Development and Religion and UNICEF are partnering with TVWAN and NBC radio for a show dedicated to them.
This first of its kind public-private partnership saw the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding today between parties, after almost seven months of discussion.
The MoU paves way for the show, to be called Komuniti Toksave, which will run for the first 6 months as trial on a budget of K250,000.
This 30-minute show will inform the public about the department’s policies and project implementation on the ground through the country. It will educate the public about each section under the department’s Community Development division.
Secretary Anna Solomon said while the focus will be on children, the coverage will be on a vast other areas, but relating to children and child protection.
"These partnership is to see a program that will give voice to the minority - children, women, People Living With Disabilities and elderly people. And more or less, it will focus on a normal family unit," she said.
Solomon noted that to date, despite the efforts by officers, issues affecting families have not been fairly aired.
She stressed that community volunteers and workers in various capacity needed to be heard as well.
Komuniti Toksave will enable viewers and listeners from around the country to see what these officers are doing, right down to the LLGs.
Community Development and Religion is the first government office to take on such an approach and UNICEF representative, Olushola Ismail, applauded and pledged their full support.
Making reference to these efforts, Ismail said this platform should go beyond boundaries of PNG and tell people about the beautiful things.
Also present for the signing was Thomas Benson - head of Trend Media, under which TVWAN falls.
Benson stressed on the company's values on social development and responsibility, adding that the TV show was its input.
The partners will see how the trial run goes and hopes to continue this show after the first six months.