Page 28 - IB April 2021

Education

your English exam, but that reading is actually a key to infor- communities.
mation.” Volunteers usually come through Vunilagi’s Facebook page,
Initially Waqa got the support of her community in Mel- and a large number of USP students have engaged. However
bourne to help buy high quality books she had plotted on a Waqa says securing a steady group of volunteers has been one
spreadsheet. “Then we began in February 2018. The idea was of their challenges.
really simple, it was just to spend some time reading to the This year, Waqa hopes to register the group in order to for-
children, with the children, however it evolved from there.” malise some processes, and potentially tap into some funding.
The initiative required perseverance. The initial uptake was “One of my messages from the beginning was that books
slow and some community members told her, “look we know open up the world to us,” she says.
you have good intentions, but this kind of stuff is just not go- And what are their favourite books to read? “Definitely any-
ing to work in a community like Nanuku. The children are not thing that rhymes for the younger children or anything that
interested in what you’ve brought; we don’t want to waste you can sing or that has fun interactive things you can do on
your time and their time as well.” the pages of the book,” she says.
Waqa asked for more time, and after a few months, “it just “Dr Seuss is definitely one that is popular. One of the visit-
caught on.” ing volunteers from the Solomon Islands, he came in and he
“I wanted to create a safe space where the children are was able to make a beat to Green Eggs and Ham, and he got
welcomed despite whatever ethnic group, religious group they one of our fluent readers to read…and the kids just went wild
came from; that when they entered into the Vunilagi space in in there…If we want children to read and love reading, we
that church that they were welcomed, valued and that they have to open up what reading is.”
could understand they could come even with their limitations Waqa says the Vunilagi Book Club has had reason to be “so,
and it wouldn’t be an issue, we would just take them.” so proud this year.”
Now in its fourth year of operations, the program has “Many of our members are prefects in their different
evolved. They still meet every second Saturday morning in a classes, and Nanuku had its first Head Boy at John Wesley
small, corrugated iron church in the settlement. COVID has School. Alosio is one of our top readers and he got elected as
changed the way they are doing things. Prior to the pan- head boy of the primary school there.
demic and social distancing requirements, groups of 40 or 50 “For us any kind of achievement for the children is a huge
children would gather in the small space. Now they meet in achievement for us.”
smaller age groups for scheduled periods. Once registered, Waqa would love to see Vunilagi Book Club
The impact of COVID on family incomes also meant that evolve into a platform that promotes “not only literacy, but
Vunilagi stepped in to help provide meals last year, after also promotes the value of children.
learning that many children were not going to school because “Nanuku is just but one community. They’re so blessed that
they didn’t have school lunches. Vunilagi appealed to its sup- we have been operating in there and even they say that them-
porters and for about three months provided 30-35 children selves, because the need in this country for our children to
with meals, Monday to Friday. read is huge, it’s not only huge, it’s really sad.
“That was a huge achievement for us last year... the chil- “Our current education system is allowing these children
dren got fed and the children went to school and for us that to be sent from class to class without reading. These young
was the goal.” people come in with the passion, they want to know and
Vunilagi has also been able to support two reading clubs, learn, but they haven’t been given the chance to and it’s not
one in Koromakawa, Vanua Levu and the other at Banaban fair, it really is an injustice to the future of our country.”
Primary School, as well as donate books to many other com-
munities. Value City and PNG Books for Kids have provided editor@islandsbusiness.com
books to the club, many of which are redistributed to other

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28 Islands Business, April 2021