Like a crab in the sand

This is the fate Aningao from Kupil Settlement in PNG faced …

… until support came from Australia through the ALWS family and the Australian Government.

You can see by Aningao’s smile the hope she now holds. She shares:

“When I was a little baby, my mother died. So my uncle and auntie adopted me. My father lived there too, and I have one brother.

When I grew up, they put me into school. I enjoyed going to school. My favourite subject was mathematics.

My dream was to be a Primary School Teacher, but when I got to Grade 8 I had to stop.

My uncle and auntie did not have enough money for me to go to Year 9, so I had to stay at home, so I could then not be a teacher.

I felt worry and was sorry, but what could I do?

When I could not go to Grade 9, I went to Lae City and did baby-sitting and other jobs.

Then, when I was 21, I was married. After I got married, I had a child.

I became a Sunday School teacher, and did this for six years.

Then we heard about the request for the community to find someone to train as a Literacy Teacher.

I said I wanted to be a teacher, and now I had the chance. God gave me this opportunity.

It took one week of training. We were shown how to work with mothers and fathers.

Then we came back and raised awareness, so people would come to classes.

I have 12 students – 9 women, 2 men and one child. My husband is also a student. I treat him just like any other student.

When my class started, they were writing like crabs on the sand.

Now they are writing like primary students. All my students can now write well, and some are reading well.

Some are even already reading Bible scriptures, and thinking about what they read.

Once my students complete the literacy course, they graduate with a certificate. Then they can enter formal education as a Primary student, even if they are an adult.

My hope is when this class graduates, we will find more students.

In 5 years time I hope I am still a literacy teacher, because I would like everyone to be literate.”