UNDP-Funded Solar Project For Moce Island School In The Lau Group Begins

Two LECT volunteers Viliame Tuiketei and Pauliasi Bunoa both of Nayau, Lau left on 23 August for Moce Island with six Technicians and all equipment from the contracted equipment suppliers and installers, Sunray Solar Electrical of Suva who recently completed a major installation on Bau Island.

Sunray is the solar projects implementing arm for the iconic Narhari Electrical.

The Moce renewable energy installation is scheduled for completion by late-September and will provide almost ninety percent of daily electrical power needs for the school complex including night study for the students. 

 The project has been eight months in the making enabled through LECT’s growing grants team led by Kabara Island’s Dr. Glenn Finau with the team’s submission approved in April for US$40K.

“It is rewarding to see some fruition of the significant work required behind the scenes to secure such funding” says Finau, a lecturer in business and accounting at the University of Tasmania, Australia.

“We are also blessed to now being able to call upon some of the cream of Lau’s brightest minds on climate change resilience strategy and the global climate financing networks” adds Finau. 

 The initial budget of $85K for the secondary school has been supplemented by donations of $10K from the Moce Island diaspora which will now also equip the kindergarten and four staff quarters with solar power.

“We are extremely grateful for the generosity of the sons and daughters of Lau living abroad and their passion and commitment to improving the standards of education and facilities in Lau, which have declined in the last three decades” say Moce Principal, Mr. Ifereimi Taufa. 

 With a total school role of over 120, the 15Kw installation will provide needed energy relief for the school and drastically cut down expensive diesel dependency.

“It is a new era of sustainability and good environmental practices, particularly needed in our islands of Lau which are still in relatively pristine conditions where our oceans, reefs and livelihoods have come under threat. The present noisy generator and diesel fumes will be a thing of the past, and no more buying diesel”, says Mrs. Ana Domoni, Chairperson for LECT Fiji. 

 The volunteers will work closely with the contractor and school committee on the project, which will include the training of a core group of Moce youth for ongoing maintenance.

“Many such projects in our remote areas of Fiji fail in the long term because of equipment breakdown and no trained personnel are adequately trained to diagnose problems then arrange repairs. We aim to get this right in Moce and set the platform for all our Lau projects into the future” says Dr. Gina Balawanilotu, LECT Australia Director and China-based academic.

“Our village youth need to take ownership and do their part, for long term sustainability” she adds. 

LECT has worked closely since its establishment in mid-2021 with the Lau Provincial Council and through an MOU, has received some Government assistance with shipping of their aid equipment and personnel.

“It is essential that Government takes note and gives due recognition to NGOs like ourselves for the necessary assistance we are bringing in, and along the way, mobilising largely untapped good human and financial resources of the global Fijian diaspora helping to bridge the significant socio-economic and educational divides that are now evident” says Australian LECT Chair Mr. Peni Toga Kacimaiwai.

“We would like to establish MOUs with all other Government stakeholders that are essential, including the Shipping Services Department, in order to facilitate our ongoing work. In November for example, we will land another 40’ container from Brisbane with 19 tonnes of desks, chairs and computers which then need to be on shipped to our Yasana schools. Why should we be paying Goundar?” Kacimaiwai questions. 

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