MEDIA RELEASE: PLAY FOR EQUITY ROUND FIVE GRANTEES ANNOUNCED ACROSS THE PACIFIC

SUVA, Fiji - Twelve organisations and individuals across the Pacific will deliver locally led initiatives that use sport and play to advance disability and gender justice through the fifth round of the Play for Equity Fund.

The Play for Equity Round Five grantees from Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Vanuatu and for the first time, Tokelau, bring diverse ideas, experiences and approaches to creating more inclusive opportunities through sport and play.

The Round Five grantees are:
Fiji
• Disability Pride Hub
• Colo i Suva Archery
• RaNadi Touch Initiative
• Yakete Women’s Rugby Club

Kiribati
• Kiribati National Volleyball Federation

Papua New Guinea
• Noah Agino – Multi Sports
• Hannah James – Volleyball

Samoa
• Alo Paopao Siumu
• Kombat Self Defence Club
• Kuā Kids Development

Vanuatu
• One Vanuatu – Santo Pikinini Rugby League Program

Tokelau
• Solomone Taukei – Multi Sports

Through their projects, the grantees will use sport and play to advance disability and gender justice and focus on creating opportunities for greater inclusion and participation within their communities.

The Play for Equity Fund provides accessible funding for individuals and organisations working at the community level, recognising the importance of locally led approaches in addressing barriers to participation and creating safer, more inclusive sporting spaces.

Team Up Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) and Safeguarding Advisor Roshika Deo highlighted the importance of supporting Pacific organisations and individuals to lead initiatives grounded in their own communities and experiences.

“The Play for Equity is a trust based unrestricted granting where we enable communities and individuals closest to the challenges to determine how funding should be used. Whilst our pool of funding is smaller this cycle compared to previous years; we have maintained quotas to ensure a minimum 30% of the funding goes towards disability and SOGIESC inclusion to intentionally support under-resourced population groups. We look forward to the delivery of activities by the grantees in the next several months,” she said.

Since 2022, the Play for Equity Fund, through the Australian Government’s Team Up program has supported individuals and organisations across the Pacific to deliver small, community-led projects that promote disability and gender justice through sport and play.

With the latest intake, Play for Equity has now supported 99 grant recipients across 14 Pacific Island countries and territories, backing locally led initiatives that are helping create safer and more inclusive opportunities for people to participate, connect and thrive through sport and play.