Supporting Early Childhood Literacy in East New Britain
In July 2026, PAYA supported the delivery of reading books and teacher resources to schools across East New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea.
The project followed an Early Childhood Education Teacher Training Program delivered in 2025 through a partnership between PAYA, the Advancing PNG Women’s Network (APNGWN) and Romen Grammar School. The training focused on improving teaching knowledge and classroom practices for Early Childhood Education teachers.
After the training, PAYA approached the Sir Brian Bell Foundation to explore further support for participating teachers. While funding for travel to a regional youth summit was not available, the Foundation donated 24 boxes of children’s reading books and teacher resource materials for the participating schools.
The books remained in Port Moresby for several months due to transport and funding challenges. In 2026, SERACS Foundation Inc. provided financial support to move the books to East New Britain and assist with their distribution.
From 19 to 25 July 2026, the project team visited schools across Kokopo, Rabaul and Gazelle districts. During the visits, the team delivered reading books, spoke with students and teachers about the importance of reading and caring for books, and collected information about the challenges faced by local Early Childhood Education schools.
A total of 19 boxes were distributed to participating schools, including Romen Grammar School, Vunamurmur, Kuraip, the Wairiki ECE group, Hebron and KAVOD. Five additional boxes have been allocated to Malaguna ECE School and are being held until the school is able to resume operations.
The project was led on the ground by Chrislyn Julai, with support from local partners and student volunteers from Romen Grammar School. Ten Grade 7 and 8 students also supported the program.
At Romen Grammar School, students prepared short educational skits about reading and book care. They later joined the team on other school visits, giving them the chance to build their confidence and leadership skills while supporting younger students.
The visits also showed the need for more learning resources in many schools. Some participating schools do not have a library and depend on small classroom reading areas. The donated books will help teachers provide more regular reading activities and give students better access to age-appropriate books.
Teachers were also provided with Book Review Forms to help monitor how students use the books and support future evaluation of the project. Follow-up monitoring is planned to look at reading engagement, use of the books and the longer-term impact on teaching and learning.
PAYA acknowledges the support of the Sir Brian Bell Foundation, SERACS Foundation Inc., APNGWN, Romen Grammar School, and the teachers, students, parents and community members who supported the project.
The East New Britain Book Donation Project is a good example of what can be achieved through practical partnerships and local leadership.
PAYA looks forward to continuing to support education, youth leadership and community development initiatives across Papua New Guinea and the wider Pacific.
