Gusap students use new library

By ELLEN TIAMU
CHILDREN having access to books are slowly becoming a reality for schools in the Markham plains in Morobe and Ramu in Madang.
While the rest of the country commemorated the country’s 37th anniversary of independence, school children from the area were at Gusap, Ramu Agri Industries Ltd’s headquarters to celebrate the launch of the Ramu community resource centre.
The resource centre comprises of a library and a community hall for indoor sports and meetings.
The conversion of the hall and expansion of libraries throughout the agricultural valley is the initiative of the volunteer Ramu Resource Centre Association formed in 2009.
With the non-existence a public library in the area, the association worked to address falling literacy rates for village and established schools.
The association intends to distribute mobile libraries throughout Madang and Morobe and in June last year established the first mobile library at the Sankiang Accelerated Christian Aca­demy.
Two hundred students at the school now use that library.
The library at the community hall at Gusap station got off the ground with help from donors, including the Manjimup Seventh Day Adventist Church, in Western Australia, which donated a 20-foot container full of books.
Children from schools around the valley, parents, friends, Ramu Agri staff and their families witnessed the launch last Sunday, where prizes were given for best short stories.
Ramu Agri Industries Ltd general manager Jamie Graham officially launched the resource centre and the library.  
Brian O’Hare, from the Manjimup SDA church, attended the launch as well.