Have Books, Will Travel

Indonesia's notorious general lack of interest in books made it rank 60th out of 61 countries in the World's Most Literate Nations ranking published by the Central Connecticut University. In Eastern Indonesia, the lack of access to reading materials has exacerbated the problem. To tackle the issue, Misbah Surbakti, a teacher in Manokwari, Papua, initiated a literary movement called the Noken Pustaka Papua. Misbah recruits volunteers who travel to villages carrying a noken (Papuan traditional woven bag) filled with books. Meanwhile, Wahana Visi Indonesia, a humanitarian nonprofit organization, delivers books to children around Lake Sentani in Papua using a boat. To promote literacy, last month President Joko Widodo launched a program that allows free shipping for books via state-owned Pos Indonesia every 17th day of the month. Tempo English reports.