Learn to Read

Children in isolated villages in Papua’s mountainous region grow up with minimal, close to no education at all. As a result, the estimated illiteracy rate is up to 81%. Therefore when Sekolah Lentera Harapan schools open in interior Papua, we start from the basic kindergarten level. First, teachers come into the village and study the local language to communicate with the local people. Teachers then introduce students to the alphabet, both in their local language and then in Bahasa Indonesia.

Within a few months of learning, local Papuan students transition from understanding numbers one to three to basic mathematics. They have also quickly grasped learning a new language, Bahasa Indonesia, enabling them to read and write.

The photo above is taken in the village of Mokndoma in November 2019. This student Yaneton Nggire proudly leads his classmates to read two-syllable words within three months of school - a remarkable achievement within a short period.

How quickly the children learn testifies to the resilience and aptitude of the local Papuan children. They are just as bright and capable as other children all over the world. With trained and dedicated teachers who teach and care for these children, students at Sekolah Lentera Harapan in interior Papua are quickly catching up to the Indonesian national curriculum.