Buk bilong Pikinini signs historic first media partnership with The National
Port Moresby: Buk bilong Pikinini (BbP) is proud to announce the signing of its first media partnership with The National, Papua New Guinea’s leading daily newspaper. The agreement was formalised during the week-long celebrations of Book Week 2025 and was signed by Anne-Sophie Hermann, BbP Founder and Vice Chair, and Dorcas Aup, Advertising Manager for The National.
This milestone, perfectly aligned with the theme “My Future Profession – When I Grow Up I Want to Be a…”, was made possible through The Liklik National Editor, Mr Jerry Tsinabi, who introduced BbP to The National’s management team. The newspaper has long featured BbP stories in The Liklik National supplement, and the new partnership will expand to include more children’s content, news coverage, and advertising.
BbP is honoured to welcome The National into its family of donors. Their support will boost visibility for BbP’s literacy programs, inclusive education initiatives, digital skills training, and nutrition education for children and parents — all aimed at ensuring children are healthy, future-ready, and supported in their learning.
“Buk bilong Pikinini is delighted to have signed this partnership during Book Week 2025. It will go a long way in ensuring children’s voices are heard and their needs highlighted. We look forward to inspiring a future generation of journalists through a new When I Grow Up I Want to be a Journalist reader with The National, and to showcasing all 30 titles in our professional careers series to a national audience. Thanks to the incredible support from partners such as the Sir Brian Bell Foundation and Wild Dog Books, our books are now a reality — and available for parents to read with their children, gift to schools, and invest in the country’s future,” said Anne-Sophie Hermann, Founder and Vice Chair of Buk bilong Pikinini.
It was also fitting for BbP to have Maryann Ballantyne of Wild Dog Books, who provides external editing support for the When I Grow Up readers, attend the event — further highlighting the collaboration behind the series’ success. Maryann congratulated BbP on this important milestone and wished the organisation all the best in its continued work.
BbP was also grateful to have Mr Ian Clough, CEO of the Brian Bell Group, who are Platinum Sponsors of Buk bilong Pikinini, attend the event and take photos with the students and team — a gesture that further highlights the strong commitment of our partners to supporting children’s education. The Sir Brian Bell Foundation (SBBF) has sponsored the printing and shipping of the When I Grow Up reader series.
This year also marks the launch of five new When I Grow Up readers, featuring role models from donor partner companies, bringing the series total to thirty titles. The first new reader was launched yesterday, with more unveiled each day until Friday.
