On November 12, 2018, a ceremony marking Chinese donations of school bags, colored pencils, reading lamps and other utensils took place at Waigani Primary School in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (PNG). Students of the school performed traditional dance for the Chinese guests.
The donations were brought by the “Brightness & Books” Charity Program, which was co-sponsored by the Information Office of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, the Chinese Embassy in PNG and the Department of Education of PNG and organized by Beijing MW Foundation. Guo Weimin, vice minister of the State Council Information Office, attended the ceremony.
When addressing the ceremony, Guo said that in a meeting with PNG Prime Minister Peter O’Neill in June this year, Chinese President Xi Jinping called on the two sides “to deepen friendship between the two peoples and expand non-governmental exchanges and local cooperation in order to increase people’s sense of participation and gain in developing bilateral relations”. The “Brightness & Books” Charity Program is a concrete step in deepening friendship between the two peoples. Guo hoped that the donations will help the students of the school with their studies.
Michael Esof, chairman of the Waigani Primary School Management Committee, and Moses Medakemau, head of the school, thanked the Chinese side for the generous donations. Student representatives presented their own paintings to the Chinese guests. Chen Shi, deputy editor-in-chief of China International Publishing Group (CIPG) and honorary chair of Beijing MW Foundation, and other guests from both countries attended the ceremony and presented the donations to student representatives.
The “Brightness & Books” Charity Program is an international poverty alleviation program for children launched by Beijing MW Foundation. The purpose of the program is to support the development of basic education in relevant countries by donating books, stationery and other school utensils. According to actual conditions of PNG, the donations to Waigani Primary School included not only school bags and stationery but also multifunctional solar lamps, which will provide brightness for the students reading at night. Since October 2016, the “Brightness & Books” Charity Program has donated to schools in several developing countries, including Cambodia, Laos, Rwanda, receiving wide acclaim from the local governments, educational authorities and the general public.
China Report ASEAN 