Cairns schoolteacher pleads for help to ship 1000 books to Indonesia

Rosalyn Elliot's mission to transport 200kg of donated books to disadvantaged kids in Eastern Bali has hit an expensive roadblock just before Christmas.

Cairns schoolteacher Rosalyn Elliott has collected 1161 second hand books from Cairns residents and organisations, to donate to the Loka Mawa Upadhi English Learning Centre in the Karangasem region of Bali, Indonesia. She is looking for assistance in delivering the books, with a weight of over 200 kilograms, to the school. Picture: Brendan Radke

A Cairns schoolteacher has called for help to transport more than 200kg worth of books to Indonesia.

Teacher Rosalyn Elliot said she wanted to help underprivileged children in Indonesia learn English after volunteering to teach during the September holidays.

“I went up with a foundation called the Suwandi Foundation, and they have an English Learning Centre called Yayasan Loka Mawa Upadhi, in poverty stricken Eastern Bali,” Ms Elliot said.

Cairns schoolteacher Rosalyn Elliott has packed and catalogued 1161 books donated by Cairns families, teachers, and community members to send to the Loka Mawa Upadhi school in Bali, Indonesia. Photo: Supplied.

Ms Elliot said the school started in 2020 and had around 150 students, most of whom attended public school during the day and attended the English Learning Centre in their free time.

“It’s a very poor region, they showed me their the empty bookshelves where they put their bags at the moment,” she said.

“They raised $5,000 to build a kindy, and I said I’d come back with books.”

Ms Elliot said she rallied the Cairns community, including local schools and bookstores to gather books for young readers, collecting more than 1000 in a six week period.

Cairns schoolteacher Rosalyn Elliott’s mission to transport 200kg of donated books to disadvantaged kids in Eastern Bali has hit an expensive roadblock just before Christmas. She is looking for assistance in delivering the books to the Loka Mawa Upadhi school. Picture: Brendan Radke

“They said we need books … picture books mainly, nursery rhymes with pictures so they can associate the words with the pictures,” she said.

“I reached out to the Cairns community, Our Lady Help of Christians, Ree’s Bookshop, HMAS Cairns and Cairns State Special School, in addition to family and friends.”

Now, Ms Elliot said she had catalogued 1161 books in 18 boxes, ready to be sent to Indonesia.

However, Ms Elliot said it was difficult to send the boxes due to parcel restrictions, particularly so close to Christmas.

“I tried the best part of a few weeks trying to get these freighted out to Indonesia, but most of the companies I’ve called said they won’t send freight goods unless it’s household goods and you’re moving there,” she said.

Cairns schoolteacher Rosalyn Elliott has organised a one-time only shipment of books to Khrisna Sunrise Homestay Tulamben in Karangasem, Bali, Indonesia which will distribute the English educational resources to the Loka Mawa Upadhi school. Photo: Supplied.

“They said even if you wanted a container it’s $9,000, so I said what if I backfilled somebody else’s, and got a small container load?”

Desperate, Ms Elliot has turned to the wider community for help to send the books across during the Christmas break.

“The intention is to break the cycle of poverty. I just want to get the books there,” she said.

“I can get the school, it’s got a little van, to come from eastern Bali to Denpasar airport and do a couple of runs to pick up the books. It’s mainly getting them over there.”

Ms Elliot said if anyone could help provide freight space, she could be contacted via email at [e-mail].

Originally published as Cairns schoolteacher pleads for help to ship 1000 books to Indonesia