Learning to read is a fundamental tool and a human right for people everywhere. And it is axiomatic to international development theories of what makes a difference for those with few resources or opportunities – Hayley Morrison’s focus for the past few years.
But her interest is more than academic. She’s been practising her convictions through a charitable trust – Motorbike Book Club – which she and her sister set up three years ago to get books delivered by motorbike to youngsters in two of Vietnam’s poorest villages.
Originally from Orewa and based on the North Shore while doing undergraduate studies at Massey University, Hayley came up with the idea after she and her older sister, Tamra Ewing, visited Vietnam’s Thua Thien-Hue province on the north central coast region together four years ago.
Back home, the sisters got talking about what they could do to support the education of local children in rural fishing villages where they’d been and where a family’s average monthly income is the equivalent of NZD$30-50. They spent the next six months researching the needs of locals, finding out what books were available and how they could make it all happen on a small budget.
Hayley was aware of the critical role of literacy as a pathway out of poverty from her studies, which she continued at post-graduate level – she graduated last month in Takapuna with a Masters in International Development (with Distinction), which she did by distance study while working full-time for The Fred Hollows Foundation and running Motorbike Book Club.
Three years on, the project is well-established and managed by a local facilitator, while Hayley and her sister raise funds, and source suitable books, activities and games which they send over.
In the villages, Vy Da and Thuy Phu, where the Motorbike Book Club has been operating, families of up to seven live on small boats, she says. “Few adults have completed high school, and while they are able to read words, they must read very slowly. Children face huge difficulties in gaining a quality education.”
“While many are comfortable with reading, about half of the children have no books of their own. When children leave school they may travel to Ho Chi Minh City to seek jobs as tailors to help provide extra income for their families. Other issues the villages face are a lack of sufficient toilets and inadequate healthcare.”
Because of a lack of child-friendly books available in Vietnamese, the sisters had to find bilingual books they felt would be engaging and appealing, including favourites such as the Spot books, Puff the Magic Dragon and We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, or have them translated into Vietnamese by hand. They’ve also developed creative activity materials and worksheets to complement the reading. Their aim is to not just loan books, but to cultivate creativity through literacy and to inspire children to dream big about their futures, she says.
As the project grows and broadens, they need funds for more books and art materials to encourage children to write their own stories and express themselves, says Hayley. Their latest fundraising gig at Community Hall off K’ Road in Auckland was held at the end of April.
The sisters have kept the project’s operating costs low, at around $350 a month, and currently have around 700 bilingual books, which they've bought, covered with Duracel and shipped to Hue for distribution by a locally recruited team. Costs also include motorbike maintenance, as well as for a monthly shared lunch for the children and a summer holiday ready programme (two full weeks rather than once a week); and to get more books for teenagers.
Their local facilitator, Hong, also sends reports so they know how many books were borrowed and read, what games were played, and sends photos and videos. So far, 91 sessions have been facilitated over the past financial year – and 3,756 books borrowed.
Seeing Hong’s passion and her sense that she’s making a tangible difference in the kids’ lives is what confirms for Hayley that the Motorbike Book Club really works.
Development Studies theory, which she had minored in for her Bachelor of Arts, taught her about best practice. “That’s the key message in development studies – rejecting this idea that west is best, and instead looking at participation and empowering communities.”
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