BY COURTNEY GARNHAM
CHILDREN IN A HIGHLANDS VILLAGE have access to a pile of new books after a visit from the East Maitland Rotary Club.
A small team of Rotary members visited the Nondugl community in the Simbu and were able to give the village some much-needed supplies for the school and the health clinic.
While there, the group realised the benefit their donation was to the community and believed they could do much more.
They are now filling their second shipping container with needed goods to take to the village in March.
The group wants to fill the village library with books and train a local on how to manage the library.
Rotarian Geoff Hicks said seeing the children’s reactions when they received the books was priceless.
“They were the first books those children had ever had,” he said. ‘They were just absolutely fascinated with the books and the pictures in them.”
Mr Hicks said it was a grounding experience to be able to help the Nondugl community. “It actually was very humbling being there but we really feel we have made a difference,” he said.
“We want to improve the education and health standards of the village. We don’t want to interfere with their cultural life, they will still live in their thatched houses and grow their own vegies.”
Source: The Maitland Mercury (NSW)
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