200 complete adult literacy programme

MORE than 200 people received certificates after doing an adult literacy programme conducted by the Ginigoada Foundation – and there is a call for more such programmes.
The four-week course was open to all those who wanted to learn to read and write or touch up on skills they had learnt previously.
Mary Sapo, who completed the programme, said she learned much and appreciated what the course gave the community.
“Those of us living in settlements cannot afford such training and we are thankful,” she said. “Also, the programme has changed most of our youths and we would like more of such programmes to be held in our community.”
The programme was initially arranged for the Kukipi Women’s Association by Hope Worldwide to help women and youths in the community-based organisation learn to read and write and assist them with their advocacy and awareness campaign on HIV/AIDS and gender-based violence in their communities.
The invitation was extended to the 9-Mile, Kerema block community.
Hope Worldwide country director Pricilla Sine Mal said one of the biggest challenges faced in the communities was illiteracy.
“We can do HIV advocacy work in communities but the biggest need is that ability to read,” she said.
“This has really challenged us to liaise with Ginigoada, who have accepted the invite and have come.”
Mal said Hope Worldwide would support about 20 of their members from the Kukipi Women’s Association to continue to the skills training and arrange for Ginigoada to run the programme for the other four community-based organisations they were working with in Port Moresby.
Ginigoada Foundation manager Robert Evah said the programme was vital for the people, especially those living in settlement areas because it bridged the gap between those who could read and write and those who couldn’t.