Libraries and literacy

Developing good reading skills are essential for any child to fulfil their educational potential. Rural areas of Indonesia are characterised by lower educational attainment and without any support from relatives at home, many children struggle to reach fluency in reading and writing. Furthermore, since the eruptions of mount Merapi in 2010 displaced the population for almost a year, many of the children missed over a year of school at a crucial age and are still struggling to catch up.

HOW WE HELP

Sekolah Gunung Merapi houses a library with a collection of over 1000 books and a wide range of kids books for reading levels of all ages. We strive to improve literacy and support the young community by:

  • maintaining a fun and engaging library that young people enjoy and want to spend time in
  • encouraging and rewarding regular reading amongst all our young library users
  • always having volunteers on hand to assist young people to practice reading together in the library
  • always having our volunteers to help young people to choose age and level appropriate books together
  • organise different events and games in and around the library so continue to maintain and attract interest from the community

Lena, aged 8: Shows us her favourite book ‘As if the world stopped turning”