In one particularly difficult delivery, 59 books written by ni-Vanuatu authors inspired by the island’s children, were packed into waterproof boxes and then travelled on horseback over boulder-strewn mountain paths, dense jungle and across rivers to reach their eager readers.
PORT VILA, Vanuatu, 20 April 2025 – Children’s books written by, for and about people in Vanuatu are being delivered to children across the country, with families in the most remote locations receiving their books via the backs of horses.
In one particularly difficult delivery, 59 books written by ni-Vanuatu authors inspired by the island’s children, were packed into waterproof boxes and then travelled on horseback over boulder-strewn mountain paths, dense jungle and across rivers to reach their eager readers.
The horseback delivery is part of Save the Children’s Library For All program, implemented in partnership with the Vanuatu Ministry of Education & Training, which aims to boost literacy in Vanuatu, where nearly 8 in 10 children in Year 4 (Grade 3 in the United States) don’t meet minimum reading proficiency standards.[1]
The program is providing all 56,000 of Vanuatu’s primary school children with books that are set in Vanuatu, written by ni-Vanuatu authors, and which reflect the day to day lives of people on the island. Transporting the books by horseback also helps Save the Children to bring books to places on the island where books are almost non-existent.
Two of the books also offer potentially life-saving lessons in country that’s located in one of the most seismically active regions in the world, with the two titles in the Library For All collection focused on helping children affected by the earthquake. The books, written by a child psychologist, provide children with gentle strategies for calming themselves when they reflect on the 2024 double earthquake.
The stories’ characters find ways to overcome their fears and open up about their feelings with those around them.
One of the children to receive a book is Evans, a bright and inquisitive seven-year-old who wants to be an island chief one day, like his grandfather was.
“I like reading because you learn how to read more hard words, and books teach me how to be kind to people,” said Evans.
Sylvie, 8, is another child who loves to read under the shade of a tree. Her mother Caroline said: "She loves reading these books, because they're about Vanuatu. We must know our customs and our culture."
Relvie Matariki, Vanuatu Country Director, Save the Children, said:
“These are books for children, inspired by children and its a beautiful way to foster their love of reading. When a child learns to read a whole world of new opportunities opens up for them. This is not just about reading skills though. When a child learns to read, they learn to ask, to imagine, to inform themselves and to decide; literacy becomes the paddle that lets them steer their own future.”
“Save the Children is working hard to boost literacy across Vanuatu and we hope that by reaching the most remote areas of the country even more children will be encouraged to boost their reading skills.”
Save the Children has been working in Vanuatu for more than 40 years and has a long history of responding to climate crises and other emergencies in the Pacific as well as supporting children with education, health and children protection programmes.
References:
[1] According to the Pacific Islands Literacy and Numeracy assessment in 2021 in partnership with Vanuatu Ministry of Education & Training Pacific Islands.
[2] New World Bank Reports Reveal Early Grade Reading Issues in Pacific Island Countries.
Spokepersons
Amy Sawitta Lefevre, Global Media Manager: Asia
Amy.Lefevre@savethechildren.org
