When it comes to spreading literature, there are several associations that are focused on this matter. One of them is the Indigenous Literary Foundation in Australia, winner of the International Education Initiatives at the London Book Fair International Excellence Awards. The article in Publishing Perspectives gives us a glimpse at what this foundation is attempting to do.

In 2004, Suzy Wilson originated this Literary Foundation with the aim of expanding literacy levels to remote indigenous communities.

Karen Williams, one of the members of ILF, has been on almost 20 field trips that have taken her to Kimberley in Western Australia, in order to reach a community of 80 people. These trips also include a community on the edge of the Great Sandy Dessert, called Warburton, with 500 members, or even to the Tiwi Islands, having to fly in an light aircraft off the coast of Darwin. Not only that, but early this year, Williams and other members flew to what is known as the remotest community in Australia: Tjuntjuntjara. In order to accomplish this, they had to take an eight-hour- long flight from Perth, then a three-hour flight to Kalgoorie and drive for eight more hours. The ILF has been involved with this community for a long period of time. They have helped pupils to work on a book that is based on their school garden, and it’s called How Does Your Garden Grow and two years ago, some students and elders were brought to Sydney to participate in the charity’s Indigenous Literacy Day. This event was very important for them, for they had never been in a big city or even seen a plane before. They had never left their community, but during that visit, they even had the chance to visit a bookshop.

The Indigenous Literary Foundation has delivered more than 120,000 free books to more than 230 remote communities, and it has published and funded more than 40 books, including some of them in aboriginal languages.

Definitely, the job that the ILF is doing in order to reach isolated communities in Australia is very so successful that they can proudly show it in all the achievements they have accomplished.

– Paula de Lucas Gudiel.