Buk Bilong Pikinini (BbP)

Ase Boas has been a successful rugby player for a number of years and continues to inspire children across the country with his great sports and leadership skills.

“Not many people would know that Ase has a deep interest in ensuring that PNG’s children receive the best possible education and support to do well in life and is happy to lend his name and give his time to support Buk bilong Pikinini’s mission of increasing literacy rates in the country,” said BbP.

As part of ICD, the children advocated for their rights, demonstrating with signs such as ‘the right to be included’, ‘the right to live in a clean environment’, ‘the right to healthy food’, ‘the right to be treated fairly’, ‘the right to be heard’ and the ‘right to be educated’.

It is important to mark this occasion to make sure children feel supported, cared for, educated and heard.

International research suggests that STEM education allows even the youngest children to develop their communication and problem-solving-skills, especially when they are actively encouraged to talk about their ideas and observations.

Young children also benefit from STEM learning because they are generally naturally inquisitive and want to explore and make sense of themselves and the environment in which they live.

BSP Group General Manager Retail, Paul Thornton, said this when announcing BSP’s continued support to the Buk bilong Pikinini (BbP) Library Learning Centres in PNG.

Thornton said BSP was continuing its support as a platinum sponsor with over K226,000 to the program this year.

“BSP is happy to contribute towards the development of our children in PNG not only through basic numeracy and literacy skills but also through financial literacy, equipping them with real life skills to sustain and apply in their livelihoods now and in future.”

Once more this year, Buk Bilong Pikinini (BbP) will be holding a week-long celebration in honour of literacy.

Their annual Literacy Week commences tomorrow, September 4 and runs through to September 8.

Filled with events such as Meet the Author, the focus is to promote the importance of Early Childhood Learning and Literacy.

The celebration ties in with the United Nation’s International Literacy Day which annually falls on September 8.

Thus, Buk Bilong Pikinini (BbP) hopes to attract more attention to early childhood learning.

The charity organisation is an early childhood literacy, numeracy and awareness program and afterschool support program that has been in existence for ten years.

Over the years, it has had the support of organisations to push its work in the area of education.

To date, it has 17 libraries in five different provinces.

The library is equipped with over 250 books for children. The books are varied from board/picture books for 3- 6 year old children, to junior novels, general readers and reference and non-fiction books.

All of the books were donated by Oil Search employees during a 2016 book drive as well as from partner organisation, Buk bilong Pikinini (BbP).

Oil Search Foundation (OSF) executive director, Stephanie Copus-Campbell, saw the need for a library in the Children’s Ward to give young patients an opportunity to read and explore the fun of storytelling through books.

The company, through its Oil Search Foundation (OSF), will work with the BbP to deliver a second library in Hela Province, having assisted in the development of a first one, and a new library in Kikori, Gulf Province.

The initiative will see library books brought right down to the grassroots level to improve literacy rates.