Koroinasau Primary School in the interior of Sigatoka now has internet connection, electricity and water supply and facilities an urban school would enjoy.

This is possible through the help of Australian Merilyn Briggs and her colleagues at the RC South Launceston  Rotary District 9830 Tasmania in Australia.

The help started when Ms Briggs was on holiday at one of the resorts at the Coral Coast six years ago.

“I came here in 2009 and paid $50 to visit the village and school and that’s where it all started,” she said.

Since then the school has been helped by RC South Launceston members and their families under the RAWCS project called ‘Small Islands supporting Big Futures.’

They upgraded the school with the help of villagers.

The students attend the school from four surrounding villages, some as day students and others as weekly boarders. Those students, if unable to board, may take up to two hours to walk to school and return.

“The project started as a family initiative and has grown to a team of 20 people after we relayed to members of the Rotary Club of South Launceston in Tasmania, Australia what I saw on my visit.”

The team of 20 last year and this year included a nurse, hairdresser, horticulturalist, an engineer, panel beater and general handyman with Ms Briggs as the project manager.

“The overall experience of going to Fiji as a Rotarian and being part of the Rotary Club of South Launceston  has been so rewarding in a number of ways. To experience the friendship and acceptance by the community for the efforts we, the working party gave, will remain with me for many years to come,” she said.

School head teacher Vimlesh Prakash said nothing could be compared the help received.

“The group has made an underprivileged school to become one of the best in the country,” he said.

Last year the group upgraded the kindergarten, painted the school buildings, built footpaths, installed fly screens/curtains, conducted hearing tests, provided the school with teaching resources, sports and musical instrument, provided the hostel with a new fridge, cooking top, urn, oven with large gas tanks and electrical cooking appliances and gardening tools.

Last week they built a footpath from the hostel to the school, a new kitchen, donation of 10 new laptops, painted of three classrooms, made school vegetable and flower gardens, built a water tank, donated textbooks and library books, provided reading glasses, footwear, clothes, taught some mothers hairdressing skills and gave them hairdressing kits.

“We farewelled them last Friday, but we will surely miss our friends from Tasmania and will never forget all they have done for us,” Mr Prakash said.

FACTS

The Koroinasau Primary School is a small isolated school inland from Sigatoka.