All Blacks Do Their Bit For Disadvantaged Children

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 12 December 2007

All Blacks Do Their Bit For Disadvantaged Children

All Blacks Greg Somerville, Andy Ellis and Brendon Leonard will head to Papua New Guinea next week to help build a health clinic for some of the world's poorest children.

The trio are the first All Blacks ambassadors to visit Papua New Guinea, where they will spend four days supporting the work of Save the Children New Zealand.

Save the Children is the official charity of the All Blacks, a relationship started in 2005 following the Asian tsunami. Players help by raising awareness of the circumstances faced by children here in New Zealand and around the world.

The All Blacks will lend their time and muscle power to the construction of a new health clinic, pitching in with carpentry and painting work. They will also visit a centre for disabled children and teach rugby skills to local children.

The players will fly out to Papua New Guinea on Sunday 16 December and will visit the town of Wewak and the village of Kambot, as well as the capital Port Moresby, before returning on Thursday 20 December.

"We are delighted to have the All Blacks visit our work in PNG," says John Bowis, Save the Children New Zealand's Executive Director. "It's a great opportunity for these players to see first hand the impact of our work. We applaud them for also being willing to get their hands dirty for a good cause."

Save the Children New Zealand, which has been active in Papua New Guinea for more than 30 years, spends nearly $5 million annually in the country, making this the charity's largest programme.

"Our work supports children to access health and educational services, and we work with local partners to deliver programmes specifically targeted at children affected by HIV/AIDS, abuse and disabilities," adds Mr Bowis.

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