BBC | Sheffield and South Yorkshire

A CHARITY STARTED BY Papua New Guinea rugby league international, Menzies Yere [pictured], in South Yorkshire has donated rugby shirts and playing kit to his homeland.

Yere plays centre for Sheffield Eagles in the Championship.

He started personally donating used kit "back home" and as the idea spread the charity was launched in 2011.

A container with 120 complete rugby kits, 2,750 shirts, 350 balls and pairs of boots arrived in Papua New Guinea, where rugby league is a leading sport.

It is currently being distributed by the Rotary Club of Boroka throughout the country.

Before the charity was formed Yere, who came to the club in 2009, had started by buying two pairs of rugby boots every month and posting them home for players less fortunate than himself.

He also collected shirts to take back to Papua New Guinea.

Following that initiative, Kits 2 Kids was set up by Yere and Sheffield Eagles director Chris Noble.

England Rugby League player Adrian Morley was one of the people who made a donation to the scheme.

Michael Saunders of the rotary club said the donations had made an impact on children living in rural areas of Papua New Guinea, where people are predominantly subsistence farmers.

Tauna Igala of Germorubu village sent a letter to the rotary club after receiving donated equipment.

In the letter Mr Igala said: "It brings the youths together and energises them, which gives them no time to resort to illegal activities."