A four hour drive out of Port Moresby along the Hiritano Highway will take you to Mou village in Kairuku District in the Central Province - home to a 13 year old girl with special needs - Alice Koroka Baupua.
Alice was born with hearing and speech impairment and her only form of communication is through sign language which she learned while growing up. When Alice was younger she attended the local elementary school with other children but did not enjoy her learning experiences because she was stigmatised and discriminated against by her classmates.
Now thanks to a reading club established in Mou village through the PNG Australia Partnership, Alice is able to enjoy reading again. Local volunteers who run the club helped her family develop disability inclusive reading materials to support Alice’s reading. These materials such as flash cards are used alongside reading books and different reading strategies to prompt Alice develop and strengthen her reading ability.
Helen Nu’u, the reading club mentor and community volunteer said the colourful pictures of everyday life in Papua New Guinea and the simple text made it easier for Alice to read and understand the stories.
“She looks at the illustrations on the pages and develops the story in her mind and I use the sign language she knows to tell the story,” Ms Nu’u said.
Alice’s favourite book is Me and My School because it gives her hope of going back to school despite being discriminated against. She flipped the page to her favourite part of the story that showed a picture of a girl walking towards a classroom. She uses sign language to say she dreams of going to school every day to learn to read and write just like the little girl in the book.
Alice’s father Steven Baupua has seen Alice’s interest in reading and he is supportive of her attending the reading club.
“Alice’s interest in reading has given her hope of going back to school despite her impairments. The reading club volunteers help create an inclusive learning environment for children with a disability like Alice and other children in the village. She knows she can reach out to them for help”, Mr Baupua said.
International research confirms that using a number of different strategies to support children to read works. This is particularly important to ensure children with disabilities are not excluded from learning.
Child Fund Project Officer, Roselyn James, said parents, families and the communities have been really supportive of the reading club.
“It’s something new, but parents like Mr and Mrs Baupua see the potential and impact the books are having in their child’s life”, Ms James said.
The books are written in simple language with many colourful pictures that reflect everyday life and culture in PNG. Most of the stories are about the authors’ childhood experiences and that most children are able to easily relate to.
The reading clubs encourage a love of reading and building literacy skills in children including those with a disability. Learning to read at a young age is critical as it forms the foundation for a child’s education and their ability to interact with their surroundings.
The reading club in Mou Village is one of 26 clubs set up in Kairuku and Rigo Districts in Central Province by Child Fund a partner in the Together for Education project. This initiative is supported by the Australian Government in partnership with the Government of Papua New Guinea.
For further information, including access to related materials, please contact the Australian High Commission media team: +675 7090 0100