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| School children in Upolo unload their chairs |
“When this
project started in 2009, most primary schools on Upolu Island had no books,
just chalk and blackboards. In most of the schools that had a few books,
they deemed these to be too ‘precious’ for the students to handle, so
books were only handed out as teachers’ resources,” says Louise Main, Literacy
Chairperson in the Rotary Club of Apia.
With a population of approximately 134,400 Upolu Island is
set to distribute the 6000 books gathered from Hawkes Bay schools by the Rotary
Club of Stortford Lodge, and with financial assistance from local companies, Mr
Apple and Emmerson’s Transport, shipped them to Apia. The books had already
been sorted by local Hastings school teachers, which made the task easier for
Apia Rotary.
315 desks, 634 chairs and other school furniture such as
teachers’ desks, shelves, white boards and tables were also sent in the
container to Upolu Island. Many schools lost a great deal of their basic
furniture and resources during Cyclone Evan in December 2012.
“This is a
great example of what Rotary can do as a collective. These resources, which our
schools have finished with, would have gone to waste. All it takes is good
communication and coordination to collect and redistribute them. These
international networks are one of the many benefits of Rotary in the community.
The impact of effectively building literacy in underdeveloped nations is
enormous,” said Stortford Lodge then President Phil Baudinet.
For the
Apia Rotary Club on its own, it would have taken years to accumulate these
resources. But, partnered with other Rotary Clubs around NZ, the goal has been
achieved much quicker, which will only serve to benefit the children of Upolu.
This was the second container of books and desks sent by the
Stortford Lodge Rotary to Samoa and the NZ club has already started collecting
for their next shipment.
