A new partnership between Australia Post and the Indigenous Literacy Foundation has led to the delivery of more than 95,000 children’s books to more than 300 remote Australian communities.
In partnership with the Foundation, Australia Post has adopted the goal of helping Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island children gain better access to quality, culturally relevant, new books.
Head of Community at Australia Post, Nicky Tracey said the organisation was committed to helping improve access to books and literacy especially in remote Australia.
“Sharing the love of books, reading and writing can help people feel connected, especially children,” Ms Tracey said.
“We know that for children in isolated communities, getting access to books can be tough, and literacy levels can be much lower than in other parts of Australia.”
She said that through its partnership with the Foundation, Australia Post was able to take advantage of its vast delivery network and support the delivery of books to children in the remote regions, giving them more opportunities to build their literacy skills.
“By the end of the year Australia Post will have delivered more than 98,000 books to schools, healthcare centres and service organisations for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation,” Ms Tracey said.
Executive Director of the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, Karen Williams said Australia Post’s support of the Foundation’s Book Supply Program had been critical during the past few months in helping them to reach the children.
“We only work with remote communities because they have little access to books and literacy resources and the barriers to literacy are enormous,” Ms Williams said.
“At the start of the year, when lockdowns were first mooted, there was a surge in book orders. We are extremely grateful to our partner organisation, Australia Post for delivering these orders,”
She said the feedback received from teachers, parents and children was testimony to the positive impact of the Book Supply Program.
