A cyclone proof kindergarten is being constructed in a disaster stricken Vanuatu community thanks to Pasifika students and the Vanuatu community in Wellington, New Zealand.
More than $US20,000 was raised to build the kindergarten thanks to the Victoria University of Wellington matching dollar for dollar around $US10,000 which its students and the community managed to raise.
The University worked with Volunteer Services Abroad and the Vanuatu education ministry to establish the kindergarten in the town of Manua on Efate.
Victoria senior lecturer Pala Molisa who is from Vanuatu said the funds were raised in response to cyclone Pam which struck in March of 2015.
Dr Molisa told Koroi Hawkins a lot of thought and planning has gone into utilising these funds and building a central facility for early education in the province was deemed to be the best value for money option.
Library books drying on a concrete slab that used to be one of the classrooms of the Melemaat Primary School.
Photo: RNZI / Koroi Hawkins
Transcript
PALA MOLISA: By putting money into an early childhood project we are king of getting more value for money because. Not just the kids will have a place to get educated but the young women will also have an opportunity to re-enter formal education themselves by getting trained up as early childhood teachers and becoming the teachers to train the next cohort of early childhood teachers as well.
KOROI HAWKINS: And where in Vanuatu is it being built and who is building it?
PM: It is going to be built in Efate which is where Port Vila (Capital) is but it is a bit further out of town. We were initially thinking of buidling it in Tanna because of course Tanna was one, as I think you saw last time when you went over after the cyclone, that was one of the islands that was worst hit. But for a number of reasons logistics was really hard, building materials and labour also tend to cost more for various reasons. So we started looking elsewhere and we thought, there is still a, you know most of Efate is rural as well. There is a lot of areas on Efate that need help, but it is also a lot easier because the roads are better, its closer to Port Vila, it is a lot easier to get something off the ground back there and we've, you know there have been consultations with that have been had with the Manua community there. They are all really keen the school is keen. So they are all pretty keen to, to have this, so yeah so we decided to go with Manua in the end.
KH: And the Kindergarten is going to be opening in the coming year?
PM: We are looking to get the kindergarten open early in the New Year and I think one thing I would like to stress. Was we focused on Manua kindy not because education is probably one of the most important areas of economic and social development but also because in a lot of ways we wanted this model to exemplify and to embody. A Pacific way of doing things because we think resilience and capacity building you know they are public policy jargon. But really the bed rock of any community development initiative is always founded on being attentive and respectful of the social relationships. That ground the community. You know that is what custom back home is all about. That is what I see whakapapa here in Aotearoa is all about and in order to give something the mana and the long term sustainability that it deserves it requires a very strong foundation on these relationships.
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