Kick-starting Buk Bilong Pikinini’s (BbP) Literacy Week celebrations, a major new partnership announcement was made with Steamships Chief Operating Officer Rupert Bray and Hon. Dadi Toka, Chairman of the Motu Koita Assembly/ Deputy Governor of the NCDC at an event on Monday the 2nd of September.
A brighter future it will be – this time for the children of Motu Koitabu villages in Port
Moresby. The Steamships Group has been operating in PNG for more than 100 years and has a real heart for the nations’ children. The large conglomerate is one of BbP’s foundation corporate donors and has made a new major investment in the children of Motu Koitabu villages to support them with their education, as part of their K2 million investment in Buk Bilong Pikinini over the next five years.
The villages are in great need of educational programs to prepare young children for school and literacy materials for school children of all ages. A BbP Library Learning Centre, housing more than 3000 books and educational materials, will be built at six Moto Koitabu schools – being at Pari Elementary School, Hagara Elementary School, Sevese Morea Elementary School, Baruni Elementary School, St Michaels Elementary School and at the Kira Kira Community Hall.
Steamships will be sponsoring the operation, which includes delivery of BbPs highly efficient Early Childhood Literacy and Development program, highly trained Teacher/Librarians, books and educational materials.
The Library Learning Centres will be built over the next three years through a partnership with the NCDC, which will sponsor the construction of the centres through the support from Hon. Dadi Toka and the Motu Koita Assembly.
Thanks to this vital support, thousands of children have graduated from BbP’s programs and have started school as confident readers and learners and continue to make their parents proud through successful academic achievements.
BbP’s Early Childhood Literacy Development programs provide 5 year-old children with solid foundations in phonics, reading, writing, numeracy and general awareness. In addition to the daily program, the children are also encouraged to borrow books from the library and discover the world through pictures and stories.
Rupert Bray, Chief Operating Officer for Steamships Trading Company Ltd. said: “Our relationship with the Motu Koita people is as old as the company itself. To have the chance to provide the youngest people in the MKA community the best possible start on their education journey is a privilege. We’re very proud of our status as a foundation partner of BbP and excited at this very worthwhile contribution to nation building”.
Hon. Dadi Toka, Chairman of the Motu Koita Assembly/Deputy Governor of the NCDC said: “Education is a priority area for the Motu Koita Assembly. In order to have a successful education pathway for the children of the Motu Koitabu villages – we need to start by getting the foundations right. The right foundation is a partnership with Buk Bilong Pikinini.”
Anne-Sophie Hermann, BbP Founder and Chair said: “It is thanks to long-term foundation donors such as Steamships, that Buk Bilong Pikinini has been able to establish its popular Library Learning Centres and reach so many children across the country with our programs and services.
