So you always say in life... Sure when am I going to get the chance to do that again! And many times your right, you will literally never be there again. And I could have put a right arm that I would never be in Simbo Island again. I travelled there with a bunch of expats after being in the Solomons for about 2 weeks and it was indescribable, some where so untouched and so unique. All I saw was open mouths and twinkly reminiscent eyes when I said.. Guess who's going back to Simbo guys! OHH YEA!!
Western province in the Solomon islands is THE PRIME time location for holidaying, beauty and everyone wants to live there. It has amazing snorkelling, surfing, resorts, beaches, diving.. need I go on. And Simbo island is one of the Islands part of Western Province in the north east part of the Solomon Islands. And it along with about 6 other schools were on the list of inspections/assessments for 2015.
It was a work related trip again, and the starting phase like the rest of my travels around the Islands for implementing the 2015 infrastructure plan for schools. Again we had a very tight schedule and this was my last trip and my last two weeks in the Solomons. I had to get all of the schools done, reports completed and ready for funding and contract signing before I left (an impossible task, which I didn't fully completed on my own).
So we hit up three primary schools to assess the needs and amount of funding and I three secondary schools to assess specialised classrooms and complete the scope of works for all. Anita, a lovely lady from the accounts department who had family in Ghizo (the main island in Western) accompanied me on the trip, and two absolute legends from the ministry of education in Western Province.
The condition of some of the schools as always were shocking, none more so then Simbo island. There had been a tsunami a couple of years ago which had left the main building uninhabitable. I found it really hard to focus and make decisions when I saw the condition that the students were in. I really couldn't concentrate on the job at hand and scoping for the amount of money we had this year when really the whole school needed to be rebuilt. But that in itself is the very reason that the school was in such bad condition, the previous school had been built by a voluntary organisation and the village themselves had no input of ownership in the school and so it was let to run down to an unusable state. The tsunami of course had a massive impact on the village but it was evident that there was a huge disconnect between the community and the school where in a lot of other places they were on in the same.
I discussed this with hopeful and we come up with a strategy to part fund section of the project, the community would be responsible for the other sections. This had not worked well in the past and had lead to donors who had given funds and expecting finished completed schools to be disappointed that progress was significantly delayed due to communities not completing their part in a suitable timeframe. Understanding both side of wanting to get the job done for the students to have classroom to study while building the interest and commitment of the community in that place is difficult to achieve.
Above is where the students are currently studying and what we scope for repair. We plan to remove the existing walls and replace with timber with open window with wire mesh for security. The classrooms sibilation will also be replaced. The roof will also be extended to provide shelter for the students and a walkway for them to enter.
The Tsunami Damaged Building where students were still being taught in is behind the team from the ministry, the school principle and some students who were loving the visitors to the Island. I saw so many kids from my previous visit who thought it was a dream that I was back on the Island.
We visited the island volcano on our trip back to Gizo, and had as always a very bumpy ride back. The trip to Simbo is a trip that is taken very seriously even by the locals. It is opens sea and the waves can get extremely dangerous. The time of day you go and the swell is very important. On my trip Honor (and education officer) told us of the story where two local guys started their kayak from Simbo to Ghizo island to see fresh fruit and veg at the market. They left in the morning at 5am to kayak back that night but were not seen for a week. Everyone on the island presumed them dead, a week later they heard they two were alive on a different island. The current and waves had been too strong of them and they ended up drifting to another island about 6 hours away and were on their way back. Solomon Life!! :)
Hanging out in Western Province with Anita..
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