Digicel Foundation takes gifts to children

Digicel PNG Foundation staff and volunteers visited two of its 21 informal schools as part of its community learning centre sustainability programme on Children’s Day on Tuesday.
They gave students a gift each and thanked them for their perseverance throughout the year.
Many a times, these children do not receive any gifts during the year, and what was presented to them was the only gift they had ever received. “Many children in marginalised urban communities do not have good role models to look up to,” foundation chief operations officer Adi Anaseini Vesikula said.
“The end of year visits by Digicel staff help to inspire the children to make something of their lives.”
The CLC sustainability is a bridging programme for young children in socially-marginalised communities to enter the education system with basic literacy and numeracy skills.
“When the children from these CLCs graduate and enter the mainstream formal schools, they skip up to three grades or at least are in the top 10 of their class if they remain,” Vesikula said.
“This is testament of the work that is done by the teachers through the support of Digicel Foundation.
“Our approach to development is a hand-up one and not a hand-out.”