Thanking our donors

 

Buk bilong Pikinini held an event with Gadens to thank them for the legal support shown over the last five (5) years. Gadens Sydney office has also contributed with legal advice and book drives.  

The event was held at the Gadens Port Moresby office by invitation of Managing Partner Stephen Massa. BbP presented Gadens with a Certificate of Appreciation and gave a presentation to all Gadens staff about our progress and achievements. BbP regularly holds events with donors to keep them up to date with the children's progress, new programs and initiatives and are always keen to involve our donor's staff in our activities.

We are grateful for all the support we receive from our donors and sponsors in both PNG and Australia.

Celebrating the 8th anniversary of our first library

The first Buk bilong Pikinini (BbP) library was established on the 8th of April 2008 and is located at the children’s Tuberculosis, Malnutrition and HIV/AIDS ward at Port Moresby General Hospital. To celebrate this anniversary, Buk bilong Pikinini held a small event on the 8 of April 2016 with our Ambassador Lynda Babao-O'Neill and hospital staff. The library which caters for critically ill children has been instrumental in helping the children with their rehabilitation thanks to BbP's special needs program and caring Teacher-librarian Nara Keti. 

BbP staff also took the occasion to donate to donate more than 1000 books to the other children’s wards and new toys to the hospital library.

This library has been generously sponsored by Airways Hotel and Apartments since its opening.

BbP partners with Oil Search

Buk bilong Pikinini has entered into a formal partnership with Oil Search to deliver Early Childhood Development and Literacy programs in Hela and Gulf Provinces through the establishment of two libraries in Tari and Kikori. This partnership is through BbP's new program called Buk bilong Komuniti which aims at reaching more rural and remote areas of Papua New Guinea where very few children have access to valuable learning opportunities and where illiteracy levels are alarmingly high.

The Oil Search Foundation has expanded their focus from Health to include Leadership, Education and Women's Protection and Empowerment. The Foundation's CEO, Kymberley Kepore (pictured above right) said: "when we considered where to focus our new education program we started by asking communities to tell us their priorities and in every case improving literacy was at the top of the list. This is not surprising because literacy is the cornerstone of every single aspect of well-being and prosperity. It represents Oil Search's focus on helping PNG to develop the next generation of leaders, which must start in early childhood."  

The first library will be established at the Kuluanda Primary School at the Kopari Catholic Mission near Tari in Hela province. The library will be opened in September 2016 and another library will be established in Kikori in 2017. Buk bilong Pikinini will also be making book donations to all surrounding schools through our Buk bilong Komuniti Program.

Special visits from Canberra

Buk bilong Pikinini has been lucky to receive visits from Hon. Steve Ciobo, Minister for International Development and the Pacific on the 9th of October and Hon. Bill Shorten, Labour Leader, Tanya Plibersek, Deputy Leader and Hon. Richard Marles, Shadow Minister for Immigration on the 2 of November. The visit took place at our 6 Mile library and the children were only too eager to show off their reading skills.