April 17th 2009 - Community Learning Centre for Morata 1 Community

Port Moresby: Today the Digicel Foundation launched their 15th Community Learning Centre (CLC) in partnership with the PNG Bible Church in Morata 1 .

The Digicel Foundation strives to support projects that provide opportunities that will inspire and build positive energy in its citizens, which will in turn lead to stronger, self sufficient communities. The Community Learning Centre in Morata 1 community is the realization of Digicel Foundation’s vision to make a difference and play a positive role in peoples lives in PNG.

Only a few weeks ago the PNG Bible Church and the Morata 1 community started a community run pre-school in the church. The four teachers are all voluntary teachers from the Morata 1 community. The pre-school has already grown from 10 children on the first day to 60 children and the numbers are still increasing. Digicel Foundation recognised their need through one of its partners, Yumi Lukautim Moresby who brought the Foundation to meet the community leaders and church leaders at Morata 1.

The second hand container used for the CLC was kindly donated and fabricated by Steamships Shipping and includes a library with 200 books donated by partner Hope Worldwide PNG. The Morata 1 community dreams to eventually establish a permanent school here on the PNG Bible Churches ground to accommodate for the many unfortunate children whose parents cannot afford to pay school fees for them. These children will now be given the opportunity to learn and read which will give them some more hope for a better future.

For the Digicel Foundation this is only the beginning as it plans on rolling out a total of 25 MLC’s in PNG by the end of May 2009. Another 25 MLC’s are planned to be rolled out in the following 12 months bringing the total to 50 MLC’s launched in PNG.