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IT TAKES A VILLAGE

They say it takes a village to raise a child, as the amazing women and men in this community in Hela Province in PNG's highlands showed by trekking hours with boxes of books on their backs to deliver Books 4 PNG Kids to their school.

Each of the villagers carried a load of books weighing up to 25kg along muddy tracks and up mountainsides so that students at Kuranda Primary and Elementary Schools now have a library of books to read for the first time since the schools were established.

Thanks to our partnership with Hela Rural Development Foundation (HRDF), the students received 30 boxes of books from Books 4 PNG Kids.

It couldn't have happened without the efforts of the whole community including the women who each loaded two or three boxes into bilums on their backs and walked barefoot for hours across rugged terrain to reach the school. And that was just the return journey!

They carried so many boxes of books that they stacked up to the height of a small child, as the photo sent by HRDF's Eric Yawas of the presentation ceremony with the thrilled students, villagers and officials shows.

"Thank you Heather and your team at Books 4 PNG Kids," Eric said. "Great support from parents and the general community as well. A challenging terrain from the main road. We walked for hours. What an experience!"

Hela Rural Development Foundation (HRDF) was established in 2019 to improve the quality of life via education, health and youth programs for communities in Hela province, one of PNG's newest provinces, founded in 2012.

Despite its scenic beauty and vibrant culture, many schools require more learning resources, so HRDF aims to change children's lives for the better.

Thank you Eric and team, and all involved, for your efforts!

Volunteers are always welcome to join us on Fridays in Brisbane, packing and sorting books - any time you can give is appreciated as we couldn't do it without you!
Join us on Fridays, 9am-3.30pm, at 
39 Flanders St, Salisbury QLD

Currently accepting book donations and we are happy to come and collect 6 boxes of books or more at any location across southeast Brisbane.

Email all requests from PNG for schools there to books4pngkids@gmail.com