The second Highlands launch took place today at Beafri village. This centre will be run in partnership with the Christian Revival Crusade Church (CRC), which works with various disadvantaged communities in Hagen. CRC supports these groups with feeding programmes, and provides basic education for children that cannot afford to go to school. Pastor Barnabas Tabara and his wife Rose, along with volunteers from the church, have been working hard for the past 15 years in Hagen city, trying to alleviate urban poverty. Land acquired by the Church in Beafri Village will host the Mobile Learning Centre and other community-based activities. The Centre will be used as a pre-school for children from Beafri and surrounding villages, and will function as a base for the feeding programmes for deprived children from  settlements in Hagen. Furthermore there are plans to use the Centre for HIV Aids awareness training. Both Centres contain a library, stocked with children’s books kindly donated by Hope Wordwide.

Pastor Barnabas Tabara spoke at the Beafri launch today, saying:,

“I would like to thank the Digicel Foundation for partnering with us here in Hagen to help us provide basic services to the people of Beafri Village. It is very encouraging to see a company like Digicel reaching out to the grass roots people to help them grow and strengthen their community through education and skills development.”

The first Mobile Learning Centre for Lae was launched in Bumbu settlement, just one month ago. With the launch of the first two Mobile Learning Centres for Hagen the total number of Centres now established throughout the country is 11. There are currently another 15 second-hand containers under construction, to be ready for launch in Port Moresby, Lae, Mt. Hagen and Goroka, by the end of April.

Reflecting on the Hagen launches, Digicel PNG Foundation CEO Marina van der Vlies said “This is another milestone for the Digicel Foundation. We are very excited about launching the first Mobile Learning Centres in the Highlands. The Digicel Foundation aims to reach out to those communities who don’t have access to basic services such as education for their children. We thank our partners for bringing us to these communities so that we can join hands and provide meaningful services to the people living here”.

The Foundation is working closely with several non-government organisations and churches – World Vision Pacific Development Group (PDG), Hope Worldwide PNG, Four Square Church, City Mission, Gateway Church, WeCARe Foundation and City Mission – to get the Mobile Learning Centres to the areas where they are most needed.


 - Kids at Rabiamul showing books inside the new MLC, with Foundation CEO Marina van der Vlies [back]

The Department for Community Development is also closely involved in this project. The Mobile Learning Centres will form a basis for the implementation of the new Integrated Community Development policy whereby the Mobile Learning Centres can de used to help strengthen communities from the “inside out” with some support from the “outside” depending on the needs of that community.

As well as rolling-out Mobile Learning Centres in POM, Lae, Mt. Hagen and Goroka, the Foundation funds elementary and primary schools, for communities that lack good infrastructure.  The Digicel Foundation completed its first school construction project in November last year with the complete rebuilding of Barakau primary and elementary school, located in Central province. The Foundation is currently engaged in another 4 school infrastructure projects through out the country. By improving the learning environment for young children, the Digicel Foundation strives to enhance children’s lives, which in turn will endow them with a positive outlook for their future.

ENDS

About the Digicel PNG Foundation

The Digicel PNG Foundation is a non-profit organisation which was established by Digicel in Papua New Guinea in September 2008. The Digicel Foundation distributes and utilises funds on a charitable basis for the sole purpose of building communities and community spirit in PNG. The Foundation is primarily staffed by employees of Digicel who assist communities through their time, expertise and leadership. The Patron of the Digicel Foundation is Denis O’Brien, the Chairman and Founder of the Digicel Group. The Digicel Foundation is the third Foundation to be established by Digicel, and the first in the Pacific region, following the establishment of the Foundation in Jamaica in 2004 and in Haiti in 2007. In Haiti the Foundation succeeded in building 20 primary schools, throughout the country, within a year providing a huge boost for the quality of the education in the country.