Indi Kindi collaborates with ILF to translate The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Our Borroloola Indi Kindi educators were very proud to collaborate with the Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF) to translate the classic children’s story The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle into local Garrwa language.

(above Borroloola educators, Deandra McDinny and Amanda Johnson, read the Garrwa translation of ‘A Very Hungry Caterpillar’ to a young learner)

The translation is part of a project by ILF to publish the well loved book in multiple Aboriginal languages, including Garrwa, Murrinhpatha, Karwar, Kriol, Pitjantjatjara, Dhuwaya, and Aboriginal English for children to enjoy in language.

ILF’s aim is for every child in remote Indigenous communities – like Borroloola – to have access to books. ILF has been a long time supporter of Indi Kindi by donating books for our Library Without Walls initiative. After each Indi Kindi session, each child is given a book to take home to encourage reading and literacy.

“When we started this initiative, very few family homes in Borroloola had any children’s books. Our aim has been to give each child a home library to develop a love of literacy and share books at home with their families,” Ros Moriarty, Moriarty Foundation co-founder and Honorary Managing Director.

Reading is a big part of Indi Kindi and the children who attend love reading books with their mums and aunties. These special moments build knowledge and understanding of the world as well as stimulate imagination and language development. Young children who enjoy reading are more likely to read as they grow older.

The gift of reading lasts forever and books, like The Very Hungry Caterpillar, at home can be shared over and over again.