Monday, November 14, 2011

Kids’ library celebrates first anniversary

By SHIRLYN BELDEN

THE Buk Bilong Pikinini Library at Koki, in Port Moresby, is one year old.
The library of three staff members and 90 kindergartens celebrated its first anniversary and the opening of the Buk Bilong Pikinini community library.
The community library was the first of the Buk Bilong Pikinini Children’s Library and aims to encourage communities to get engaged in reading as the first step in countering illiteracy in the country.   
The occasion was witnessed by friends, development partners and the general public.
The PNG LNG project funded the establishment and operation of the library and Curtain Brothers provided support in refurbishment of the building and construction of furniture.
Buk Bilong Pikinini executive director Ali Nott was grateful for the help from the two companies.
“With a high level of illiteracy in PNG, the library is a vital facility to promote education and learning and instil a love of reading in people,” Nott said.
The library has been receiving a good number of users every day.
It opens on weekdays from 8am-4pm.
It has 3,000 books, magazines, encyclopaedias and resource books on its shelves.
PNG LNG representative Ken Freeman said the company was  delighted to help in establishing education and literacy in communities.
It has donated 38,000 books to the Buk Bilong Pikinini libraries in PNG since the establishment of the children’s libraries in 2007.
The occasion saw the Buk Bilong Pikinini library donating 100 books to the Fisherman Island Primary School.
The library has been lending books to schools and community centre under its “Bilum of Books” programme.
The programme works by lending out books to communities and schools where there is no access to a library.

No comments:

Post a Comment