Let it Rain! Catching water on Moso Island

The Tassiriki School Project saw the restoration of five school buildings, including upgrading the buildings’ guttering and fixtures, re-roofing a classroom, and the installation of an additional four 1,100 litre water tanks and downpipes.

Vanuatu is a water scarce country and safe drinking water isn’t available for many school children. Water tanks installed on school premises offer a practical solution, especially for schools without a safe water connection.

Tassiriki School is the only school on Moso Island. As it serves the entire island, some of the children walk for many kilometres to attend school. Currently, the school accommodates 150 primary school students and 28 kindergarten students.

PICTURED: Rotarian Greg Proctor managed the transportation of equipment from the Efate village of Tanoliu to the Tassiriki School by boat.

Led by the Rotary Club of Port Vila, the planning team consisted of Rotarians Jack Dihm, Linda Trenkner, Margaret Johnson, Janelle Cole, Rob Agius, and Karl Brent. On the ground they were assisted by Ben Kopittke, Aaron Egan, Nicolette, and a host of villagers and school children.

The project required multiple trips to the site to assess the scope of work and coordinate logistics.

During the initial stages, Antoun, the owner/builder from Moso Resort, discovered that the beams under the rusted classroom roof were rotten and needed replacement. Extra hardwood was ordered and delivered to the school.

Rotarian Greg Proctor managed the transportation of equipment from the Efate village of Tanoliu to the Tassiriki School by boat. Once the old roof and beams were removed, new hardwood beams were installed, followed by the new tin roofing.

PICTURED: Fascia boards were given a fresh coat of white paint before the new guttering went up.

The fascia boards were painted white before the guttering was installed. On the second day, Robert, Ben, Aaron, and a friend helped reposition the fascia boards and paint them.

By the end of the project, the new roof was securely in place, buildings were painted, and all guttering was installed and connected to water tanks. Some existing water tanks were repositioned for better efficiency.

School Principal Paul Kalsev expressed his gratitude for the project, noting that while they had received volunteer help before, they had not seen such substantial assistance since 2018.

He thanked the clubs for addressing roof leaks and providing the water tanks.

It is planned that an ablution block for the school will be installed later this year.

PICTURED: Led by the Rotary Club of Port Vila, the planning team consisted of Rotarians Jack Dihm, Linda Trenkner, Margaret Johnson, Janelle Cole, Rob Agius, and Karl Brent.