The road to Sylvie's village only takes you so far
At some point, the rocky, mountainous path in Vanuatu's Sanma Province becomes simply impassable by car. To reach the remote community where eight-year-old Sylvie lives, you must go the rest of the way on foot – wading through ice-cold rivers, pushing through dense bush, following horses laden with precious cargo up a narrow mountain trail.
That cargo is a brand-new set of books for the school library. And for Sylvie, they would change everything.
A crisis hiding in plain sight
Vanuatu is one of the most beautiful places on earth. It's also facing a quiet education emergency. A staggering 79% of year 4 children in Vanuatu do not meet the minimum reading proficiency standard. In remote communities like Sylvie's, that challenge is compounded by isolation, limited resources, and the ever-present threat of cyclones that can tear apart classrooms and destroy what few materials exist.
"In our school, our challenge is the library – there's not enough reading books," says Caroline, Sylvie's mum. On top of this, the books that are available are often not relevant to young children. And when children can't see themselves in the stories they read, their whole world shrinks a little.
Putting local stories into children’s hands
That's exactly what Save the Children's social enterprise, Library For All, is working to change. The project has created 59 new book titles, all written by authors from Vanuatu and inspired by stories children themselves have written. The books are designed to reflect real life in Vanuatu – the culture, the customs, the everyday moments that make this island nation home. They're now being distributed to all 56,000 primary school children across the country.
When our team finally arrived at Sylvie's school – after a 10-kilometre trek and a river crossing – around 100 children and families were waiting on the far bank, waving with excitement.
"When the students saw the horses bringing in the reading books, they were so excited," recalls Miss Julie, Sylvie's teacher. “I feel happy because the reading books improve the standard of our teaching in class. The books help the students because they relate to daily life here in Vanuatu. By reading them, the students learn how to apply what’s in the books and develop their knowledge.”
Sylvie reads aloud to the class from their new library book, I Forgot to Wash My Hands.
“I Forgot to Wash My Hands is about hygiene,” says Miss Julie. “The book encourages the development of healthy habits. When children come to class healthy, they are more attentive and can learn better. When they are unhealthy, they feel sleepy and cannot focus on the lessons.”
Sylvie reads a new book under her favourite tree.
Building a brighter future one page at a time
Sylvie is the captain of her class. She is endlessly curious, and absolutely certain about what she loves: "I love going to school because I love writing. I love to read books – books about butterflies," she explains. Sylvie loves to read in the shade of a tree to escape the heat. “Save the Children gave us books. I felt good because of the books.”
Sylvie’s mum Caroline is her biggest supporter, and has high hopes for her future.
“Sylvie loves reading these books because they're about Vanuatu. We must know our customs and our culture,” says Sylvie’s mum Caroline.
And the more Sylvie reads, the smarter she gets. She even came first in her class last term.
“When I heard that, I was so happy,” says Caroline proudly. "I want Sylvie to find a good job – maybe a nurse or a teacher."
Thanks to people like you, those dreams are being nurtured by books that show Sylvie exactly who she is, and inspire her to imagine who she can become.
Photos: Conor Ashleigh / Save the Children.