BRISBANE VOLUNTEERS

Books 4 PNG Kids will be taking a break next week but we’ll be back in action on Wednesday, May 7 (10am-3pm) and Friday, May 9 (8.30am-3.30pm) at our factory at 39 Flanders St, Salisbury.

All are welcome as we sort and pack books to send to PNG schools.

Lunch is provided. Just wear closed-in shoes.

Today we bring you some photos sent by Craig Volker of his recent deliveries of books donated by Books 4 PNG Kids to New Ireland schools.

After Books 4 PNG Kids shipped the books to Kavieng, Craig used his car to deliver them to schools including Lesu 2 Elementary School, Central LLG, Namatanai District, 125km along the Boluminski Highway from Kavieng along New Ireland’s northeastern coastline.

“Lesu 2 Elementary School is a community project, built and run by the local villagers with no funds or support from the government,” Craig, a linguist and James Cook University adjunct professor says. “Community donations pay the teachers’ small salaries and are used to buy all materials.

“It is located in Lesu 2 Village. This is the village where the famous anthropologist Hortense Powdermaker wrote Life in Lesu in the 1930s.”

Before the school was built, children had to walk 4km to Langenia Elementary School, but after a child was hit by a truck on the busy Boluminski Highway, villagers used land belonging to the local Catholic Church, built the school and recruited teachers.

“The teachers are highly motivated and receive very good support from the community,” he says. The school has 77 pupils and 5 staff.

Craig also delivered books from Books 4 PNG Kids to Langenia, Lugagon and Madina Primary Schools and Bol and Liedan Village Elementary Schools in February this year. At Bol Elementary, head teacher Grace Hunt received the books after the children had left for the day.

Schools throughout PNG are now changing to incorporate elementary schools into primary schools, so the books will be used by a wide range of pupils.

Our thanks to all involved in the delivery, including Craig, Luke and Shaun, and Aron Lyandao of NIPS Clothing Kavieng who sponsored the shipping of the books from Brisbane-Kavieng.