In Gear | Rotary in Southern New Zealand Issue 2 | Page 31

Collaboration in action
It’s been four years since the Rotary Club of Dunedin North decided to look for projects in Vanuatu, with a particular
focus on health and education.
“Vanuatu is a very poor country,” says team leader Wayne Bowen. It’s at risk of earthquakes and hurricanes, and has
a fast-growing population of 210,000, over half of whom are aged 15 or under.”
The club’s commitment to Vanuatu is a collaborative effort with the Rotary Club of Waitakere.
“We started with a project in Orap building a dining and kitchen block for a school and, over the next three years, we
sent teams there to complete the project with the help of the local community, who fed us and put us up,” Wayne
says.
The team also built eco toilets, reroofed school buildings, installed water tanks and reticulation, built furniture, put
up mosquito netting on windows, as well as providing a computer suite, library books, musical instruments, sports
uniforms, glasses and countless other items to help the community.
The latest project in Votlo was made possible through a $50,000 Rotary Foundation grant, together with $3000 in
support from the Rotary Club of Wanaka.
“We’re now well into planning for our return trip next year – we’d welcome inquiries from anyone who would like to
come and help, and, of course, donations to help us help this very poor community are always greatly appreciated.”

tough – sleeping on lilos, eating different foods … not to mention the flyblown long-drop toilets,” Les says.
“Daily swims in the warm ocean brought welcome relief, though,
especially after working and building in heat up around the 30degC
mark.”
Under the WASH programme, the Rotarians constructed a purposebuilt facility, including a community room with rain water collection
and storage, composting toilets and showers – with the added brief of
ensuring the structure could withstand 300kmph cyclonic winds.
Facing tight timeframes, the Rotarians spent many a night burning the
midnight oil on a range of tasks, including pouring concrete into the wee
small hours to keep to schedule.
As well as arriving with sports uniforms for the island’s youngsters, the
Rotarians also brought five donated computers, including software and
films, with IT specialist Adrian Cross setting up a dedicated computer
suite.
“The computers are particularly for the young people on the island, who
leave school at 12 years old, with no future prospects for education,” Les
says.
“We’re still working on getting the internet up and running there.”
One of the most poignant moments, he says, came when the Rotarians
gifted the island’s church a new organ to repla