Jayapura, Jubi – World Vision Indonesia (Wahana Visi Indonesia – WVI) has relaunched its Baca Tanpa Batas (Read Without Limits) campaign, an initiative aimed at mobilizing public support to help more than 5,000 children in Papua.
The campaign focuses on improving the quality of education by distributing literacy support packages containing school stationary, blankets and school lunch kits.
WVI has been working with communities for more than four years to improve access to literacy through various programmes and activities.
A 2025 WVI study conducted in Biak, Sentani, Sarmi and the Central Highlands of Papua found that only 32 per cent of Year of 3 primary school students could read before receiving more comprehensive educational support.
According to WVI, quality education depends on more than just the availability of schools, teachers and textbooks. Access to essential learning supplies is also important in ensuring children can learn effectively.
Through the Baca Tanpa Batas campaign, WVI provides various forms of educational support, including mobile libraries, reading centers, reading corners and digital libraries. The campaign also distributes children’s storybooks with the support of local communities and members of the public.
WVI National Director Angelina Theodora said that in many parts of Indonesia, including Papua, essential school supplies were often overlooked because they placed an additional financial burden on economically disadvantaged families.
“Yet these resources are also important in making children comfortable and encouraging them to develop an enthusiasm for learning,” Angelina said in an electronic message on Tuesday (3 November 2026).
She said that through the Baca Tanpa Batas campaign, which was launched in 2023, WVI aimed to encourage the public to help create a supportive environment for the growth and development of children in Papua.
All children have the fundamental right to access quality education so they can enjoy a better quality of life, including children in Papua, she said.
“However, the challenges facing education in Papua are not limited to basic access to educational facilities. They also include access to adequate resources and materials that support a conductive learning environment,” she said.
She added that many families in vulnerable communities struggled to meet their daily basic needs, meaning educational supplies were often neglected.
Siska, an WVI beneficiary from Sentani, Jayapura regency, Papua province, said her granddaughter Tina enjoyed reading, even if she could only manage short passages.
“I enjoy helping her read so that Tina can learn to read before starting primary school,” Siska said.
She said she also encouraged children to develop an interest in reading and learning by putting up pictures of trees and animals and making simple paper crafts.
However, living in a village far from the city made it difficult for families to access school supplies such as exercise books, pencils and pens, she said.
“We would be greatly helped by receiving these literacy packages, as they would encourage children to become more enthusiastic about learning,” she said. (*)
