This is the story of Gerard Ivalaoa from part Morobe and Gulf provinces, an aspiring young writer who recently published his first book in March this year.
The 23 year old lives with his widowed mother, 3 siblings and extended family at the ATS first Block, an outback settlement in Port Moresby with poor housing and road conditions, and limited access to electricity and water.
Despite living in such harsh conditions, Gerard was able to handwrite and complete his first manuscript within 6 weeks and then transferred the write-up to his android mobile phone.
The biggest struggle I faced was typing the manuscript on my phone with two-fingers
His book titled ‘70 Reminders for Academic Excellence’ is an 85 thousand-word paper-back that speaks to Papua New Guinean students about important aspirations and concepts that can help them achieve greatness despite whatever odds they may or have encountered.
View his inspirational story on PNGBUZZ TV: PNG Stories here:
I aim to get this book distributed to all provinces in the country. It is my vision that this book would not only inspire but launch students around the country into becoming academic champions and influential men and women in society.
Thanks to his publisher Shane Baiva Publications, Gerard has already printed 100 copies and has delivered some to Tabubil, Lae, Kavieng and Alotau. He plans to send out more copies to other provinces as well and is now confident to produce more books in the near future.
My best message to young people out there is that the greatest assets God has given to everyone is time and effort. And the question they must ask themselves is what they are doing with this asset.
Gerard aspires to become a well renowned writer and lawyer in the future and has already made strategic steps towards his goals by publishing his first book.
If you would like a copy of Gerard’s book, email: contact@pngbuzz.com and we’ll put you in touch
