A group of local high school students will travel to an impoverished school in Vanuatu next month, to provide hands-on help to the cyclone-affected community.

A leading Vanuatuan missionary today praised the students’ initiative and gave them an insight into what’s in store.

Briony Skinner reports.

TRANSCRIPT

Twenty-eight students from the Faith Lutheran College will spend their mid year break in Vanuatu.

But it won’t be any holiday.

The students will be building classrooms and teaching young pupils.

Father Luke Dini, Mission worker:”The contribution that little children like these people are doing is changing the world from thinking big to thinking small but doing great.”

The benefits are two sided.

Father Luke Dini says the students’ work at Facona Seventh Day Adventist College is greatly needed and students say for them, it’s a wonderful opportunity.

Luke Brown, Faith Lutheran School captain:”I’m going to have the opportunity to travel out of the country for the first time, to see things that I’ve never seen before and possibly might never see again, and it is going to be a once in a lifetime experience for me.”

The school captain is not the only one stepping into unfamiliar territory. Year eleven student Annamieka Mole instigated the project after learning about conditions facing children in Vanuatuan schools.

Annamieka Mole, Grade 11 student: “I’m feeling really excited but nervous at the same time, just travelling overseas – I haven’t travelled before – but mostly excited.”
Alan Profke is highly involved in mission work in Vanuatu and believes students will learn alot from the local people.

Alan Profke, Past Faith Lutheran parent:”It offers people a different perspective on life. It offers people very stong community values, very strong community values.”

After six months of fundraising, the students have purchased their own building supplies to take with them to Vanuatu. They hope to build at least two classrooms during their two weeks at the school.

Father Dini says the students will provide enormous benefit to the community as their donations go where they are most needed.

Briony Skinner, QUT News.