An English Library Cafe

We were very happy to support our friend, Om Kennedy Diaz, to start a collection of English novels in his cafe in Labuan Bajo.

We met Om Kennedy through our collaboration with Trash Hero Komodo and supported him to start a small recycling processing center in town in 2017.  When he reached out to request novels for his cafe library we were delighted to send him donations from Books Up.  As with most of our projects in the Indonesian Archipelago Atlas Pearls made this donation possible by allowing us to piggy back our books onto their logistics vessel and deliver them to Om Kennedy.

We hope that the addition of this library will help Om Kennedy in creating a successful business in Labuan Bajo.

As always, we are so grateful to our all collaborators for bringing these projects to life.

If you have a project that you would like to start or support, please get in touch

xxx

Distribution 16 + New Collection : TRASH HERO KOMODO

We've been working closely with Trash Hero for the past year, participating in + sponsoring local beach cleaning + waste management education programs.  Recently they opened a library in Labuan Bajo and put our a request for donations. I'm so pleased that we have been able to contribute to it's collection.  

Several weeks ago we sent a box of 200 notebooks for the Trash Hero Education programs, and 50 novels for their new library.  This has been a particularly collaborative collection of books with your cash donations purchasing notebooks, the BOOKS UP Association sending novels and Atlas Pearls sponsoring all the logistics required to get the books to Labuan Bajo for this important project.

Thank you so much everyone.  As always, your support is invaluable.

xxx

Ocean Warriors Plastic in Paradise: Distribution #1 KUKUSAN VILLAGE

We teamed up with Trash Hero Komodo to do a beach clean and distribute the first copies of Ocean Warriors Plastic in Paradise to the kids in Kukusan Village.

And it was awesome.

We gathered the kids of Kukusan Village school (where we made our 3rd library collection) to clean up the area around their school and the village coast line.  The kids do this every week with Trash Hero Komodo and love it.  It creates such a great feeling of team spirit doing this work for their community and there are always a lot of smiles and a lot of excitement!

This week the we gave all the participants of the clean up a copy of Ocean Warriors Plastic in Paradise.  We read it to the kids in both English and Indonesian and then worked with them to write down different ways they can be an Ocean Warrior. (Being a Trash Hero is one fantasic way!!!)

I must say it was quite a buzz seeing the kids reaction to the book first hand and watching them enjoy something that I helped to create.

Thank you so much for all your kids donations that make these book donations possible.  You are SO appreciated!

Distribution 14 : Kukusan Village

Today I remembered the power of a story.

I remembered what it was like to get lost in other lands as a child.

Today I saw children get lost in Neverland.

This is what it looks like to disappear into a fairy tale.

You might remember I brought 50+ books and games back from Melbourne donors in March.  Well, included in the boxes of books were 2 beautiful pop up books - one of which, the story of Peter Pan, came with SOUND.

And oh how the kids were taken in by it.

Watching them take turns to gather around the book and unfold the pictures and listen to the music was really something.  I had forgotten what it feels like to be lost like that - lost in magic.

Before passing the books out to the students we looked at them together.  When we first opened Narnia (the other pop-up book), the children actually cheered.  I wish I had video, but here is a photo of the arms going up and clapping...

While these two particular books were a stand out today the kids loved ALL the books.  Our donors once again made excellent choices of books sending a collection of learning materials, beautiful coffee table books full of colour photos that always impress the kids and gorgeously illustrated stories that the kids LOVE.

These books are such a gift.  They make an incredible difference to these kids!  Exploring these books was a treat for them this morning and they are a resource that the kids can keep coming back to.

They also make a big difference in the life of the teacher who is doing her best to give these kids opportunities with so little support.

You guys rock!  Thank you so much xxx

A Visit from Salila Expeditions

Today Kapal Salila paid us a visit at the Atlas Pearl Farm.  Hearing about the work that we have been doing in the local village the guests had asked if they could bring some donations to be taken to the school at Kukusan.

We thought it would be nice if the guests could meet the recipients of their gifts so we invited the teacher and a few of the students to visit us at the same time and receive the donations in person.

Our friends on the Salila Liveaboard brought with them hundreds of notebooks and pens and pencils and a box full of sporting equipment - rackets and frisbees and balls and skipping ropes.

The kids were thrilled to be there and be a part of it.  They laughed as they tested out the new skipping ropes and tried on hats.  They chattered excitedly as they looked through the stationary and maths kits looking forward to sharing them with the rest of the students at the school.

They waved off the visitors then found a watermelon in the garden that we cut up and ate together - more laughter and excitement and unbridled joy.

It was a most extraordinary day.  My heart fills to bursting when I experience this level of collaboration and caring.

I am so thankful to all the staff at Salila Expeditions for your ongoing support, and to your guests for offering such a beautiful contribution to our local community.

Beds for Rumah Guru

Thanks to Salila Expeditions our teachers house now has 2 new beds!!!

THANK YOU, WINGHAM HIGH

The kids at Wingham High School MADE BOOKS for the kids here in Flores/Komodo and in Raja Ampat.

This is my favourite #100BOOKSproject moment to date.

The daughter of one my dear friends told her Indonesian teacher about my project and the class set to work raising money.  Much to my surprise, though, the project didn’t just get a cash donation, we got a donation of books written and illustrated by the students.

I can’t even begin to express how special this gift was to the students.

When I gave the kids the books that had been made for them they imagined a class in a foreign land making them a gift.  This idea in itself was almost unimaginable for them.  

The books are written in both English and Indonesian and use simple repetitive language so they are a FANTASTIC resource for the students to learn English.

AND it has given the kids a great idea!  They too want to write and illustrate a story!  It looks like the 100BOOKSproject is taking it to the next level!  We’re making books now!!

To all the students at Wingham High, and to your most excellent teacher, a gazillion thank-yous.  

You guys ROCK!

* * * * *

Book Distribution 11: Bitu Village

School is back in Bitu!

Last year my friend Flori asked me if the 100BOOKSproject could help his village.  I was delighted to say a big YES!

Over the course of a few months we loaded him up with notebooks and activity books and library books which he would carry on his scooter for the 6 hour ride home to his village.

School was out for the holidays when he arrived with all the library books so he left them in the hands of the teacher to show the kids when the term resumed.

Well, school is back and our first distribution of library books for Bitu Village (and our 11th distribution overall) has happened and the students of Bitu Village now have 120 brand new resources to put on their shelves and enjoy.

A big thank you to all of you from me, from Flori, and from the community of Bitu Village.