Labour of love for Gulf teacher

A TEACHER in Malalaua, Gulf, has dedicated her profession to educating children in her local area despite not being paid.
Anna Lavao, 28, says she wants to serve her people by teaching the children at the Morove Lavi Community Learning Centre (CLC).
Lavao and head teacher Gabriella Hela are the only two staff at the centre. “I could have gone elsewhere to find a paid job, but I am here teaching these children without being paid because I have a heart for my people,” Lavao said.
Community learning centres were set up by local communities throughout PNG to support education development in socially-marginalised communities. They are currently part of the CLC sustainability programme of the Digicel PNG Foundation.
The programme is helping the centres become sustainable and self-reliant. The aim is to help the communities have formal registered schools because CLCs are informal.
Digicel PNG Foundation recently launched a new classroom at the Morova Lavi CLC. The foundation’s community development manager Hane Toua said it was the passion of people like Lavao and Hela to pursue education for their respective communities that pushed the foundation to go into the most remote areas to deliver infrastructure and services to assist their efforts.