Construction early in 2010 of a second building at the Kapalpal Christadelphian Primary School has provided much-needed classroom space for teachers and students.
Highlighting the space problems at the school, Head Teacher, Michael Job said, “We have 205 students, from pre-school to Grade 6, and the one building we have is too small.”
Near existing classrooms
The new building was erected in an area adjacent to the existing building in a remote, mountainous part of the island of Tanna, in Vanuatu. It contains 2 classrooms and a residence for visiting teachers or fieldworkers. Each room is 6m x 7.3m in size.
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The steel, 18 x 7.3 metre building was completed in April 2010 |
In a departure from the first building, the new one has permanent walls separating the classrooms and the residence. As in the first building, overhead fluorescent lights and a petrol generator have been provided for lighting.
At its height, the project team consisted of 11 Australian volunteers and a regularly-changing group of locals. ”We really appreciate Bethezer providing us with this new building, and we also thank all of you very much for leaving your families and coming over here to help us. We have nothing we can give you but our thanks which we feel deep in our hearts,” said Jack Nafeali, a local member of the Christadelphians and Chairman of the school’s governing board.
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Bro Jack Nafeali gives a helping hand |
No students refused
The new building concludes another chapter in the story of the Kapalpal school. The first building, finished in December, 2008, was intended to provide permanent, weather-proof classrooms for between 70 and 80 students. Children in this distant area had never before had anything other than dark, perennially damp, ill-kempt huts for classrooms. But in 2009, the school’s first year of operation, enrollments hit 206, leading to space and noise problems. 2010 enrollments are virtually identical, with 205 students. Something had to give – either students had to be turned away or more classroom space had to be found. But to turn children from nearby villages away from the school was virtually unthinkable. The classrooms were built and the school established precisely to enable those children to receive a quality education.
So plans were made, funds slowly raised and a team organised to erect a proposed second building.
Volunteers from Australia included Paul and Emily Deller, from the Sydney area.
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Bro Paul Deller screwing down roofing iron |
Paul is a carpenter by trade. “This isn’t anything like what we expected. We were expecting it to be more tropical,” Paul said, but then added: “This place is so beautiful. And the people are so friendly it’s amazing.”
The Dellers and most of the rest of the team set up in the existing building each night. During the day while school was on, they stored their gear in the fieldworkers’ room at one end of the building. Meals were prepared in a covered shelter next to the classrooms. It was equipped with a couple of bench tops and a two-ring gas burner. Pots, plates and other things used in preparing and eating food had been left behind by others.
The plan called for the steel building to go up in 20 days. Shipping delays reduced that to 14 days. Fortunately, the weather was with us and the team was able to finish the work before everyone packed up and said teary good-byes.
The next school day, April 19, 2 classes moved into the new building. However teachers and students had to take their tables and chairs with them as no new furniture was built. That awaits the arrival of another team scheduled for September, 2010. So while the second building project was completed, “on time” and “within budget”, there’s more work to do.
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Sis Emily Deller and Sis Val Lowes doing some breakfast dishes |
