BbP’s programme helps prepare Benny for school

Children who have attended Buk bilong Pikinini’s (BbP) early childhood literacy programme are turning heads in schools and communities across PNG with their amazing reading skills.
The future is looking bright for six-year-old Benny Huazihembe from Gereka, outside Port Moresby, who has been attending BbP’s programme for a year at the 6-Mile Library Learning Centre.
Huazihembe started his journey with BbP at the recommendation of his aunt, who had had her girls graduate from the centre at 9-Mile.
Living at Gereka, he did not have access to books before starting with BbP. So it was a huge shock to his parents when he read “University of Papua New Guinea” in a title of The National newspaper in Term 2.
His mother Lilianne nearly fell off her chair in surprise and asked Huazihembe to continue reading, after which he read a whole paragraph.
His teacher Agnes Tayo confirmed his excellent phonic and reading skills and praised him for taking a book home to read after class every day. Huazihembe is now enrolled at the Ward Strip Primary School at Gordon. His parents are grateful to Buk bilong Pikinini and its donors for giving their son such a great start to his education.
Huazihembe will now start school with great confidence knowing that he has had the best possible preparation. This year has been a busy year for Buk bilong Pikinini preparing 1000 children to get ready for school.
Parents and community members have attended events and graduation ceremonies at BbP’s LLCs and been stunned to find that their five-year-old children are able to read, do basic math and have good general knowledge about PNG.
Parents have also commented about how their children are more interested in going to school, wanting to learn and displaying better manners.
In fact, some parents are now enrolling their second or third child in the organisation’s programmes as their first child has been excelling at school and exceeding expectations for their year level.
Teachers often ask parents if their children had been at international schools to be at such a high level of reading at their first year of school.
In addition to the successes with its programmes, BbP has also established itself as a book seller.
It sells both in-house developed readers and picture books as well high quality second-hand books at outlets at Theodist and its head office in downtown Port Moresby.
The organisation is also training teachers and community educators in its elementary literacy programmes and library management in partnership with corporate donors, who wish to assist local schools to improve early childhood literacy and re-establish school libraries.
– Buk bilong Pikinini