The donation consisted of a pre-fabricated shipping container, to be used as an elementary classroom, with school desks ,chairs, a whiteboard and reading materials such as library, colouring and work books for the children from Talai Community to use. 

Staff volunteers from  Digicel made the presentation at Talai Settlement in the presence of the Community Learning Center caretakers, children and other members of the community. 

Digicel PNG Foundation CEO, Marina van der Vlies said:

‘We encourage our Community Learning Centres to establish good working relationships with their sister-centers so that they can all work together as a team to improve their lives.The sharing of ideas helps develop innovative and more effective ways of doing things and it is great to see this happening here at Talai today”. 

“Talai Community Learning Centre has seen an increase in pre-school enrollment from 30 children last year to 70 this year and so this donation is a timely one. Now the children have access to an additional classroom and materials to improve their learning skills”, she added. 

This donation is in line with Digicel Foundation’s belief that Education should be accessible to all even those who cannot afford school fees. The earlier children learn numeracy and literacy the more chance they will have in leading a better life.

All communities are encouraged to use their facilities, not only as a pre- and elementary school but also, as a community resource for adult literacy, skilled-based training, cooking and sewing for women, and HIV/AIDS awareness depending on the specific needs of the community. 

The Digicel Foundation especially recognizes those communities that are active in helping themselves with the little resources they have. The Digicel Foundation’s main focus is to initiate projects that will provide opportunities and inspire a positive and vibrant future for the communities within PNG. The Digicel Foundation believes that as the Digicel Company grows, the communities in PNG should grow as well.  

To date the Digicel Foundation has funded 40 Community Learning Centres, 10 primary school and 18 elementary school infrastructure projects, two Mobile Health Clinics and two Meri Seif Haus projects. The Digicel Foundation plans to continue the funding of community projects in the area of education aiming to support communities as they hopefully become more self-reliant in the future.