Poverty on our doorstep!

St Matthew’s Collegiate students make a difference

At the end of the school holidays, nine St Matthew’s College (Masterton) senior students returned from Tanna Island, Vanuatu, motivated to get behind this year’s World Vision 40 Hour Famine after witnessing poverty firsthand.

Accompanied by Rev. Lesley Mouat (St Matthew’s Collegiate Chaplain) and David Moger (NZ World Vision representative), the students fund raised for the trip themselves.

During their stay on Tana Island:

• Visited two of World Vision’s clean water projects. World Vision works with villages that don’t have access to clean water or toilet facilities by helping to build a concrete water tank and long drop toilets. This provides the whole community with clean, drinking water and basic hygiene.

• Painted Aide Posts in two remote villages: The difference between NZ medical centres and the Aide stations is that they care for up to 2,000 community members and are run by a nurse aide (trained by World Vision) – with no access to electricity or running water. The group painted the inside bare concrete walls to make them a little more hygienic.

• Visited School Garden projects: The group visited school garden projects where World Vision staff teach students how to grow their own root crops. When cyclone season comes, children have food available.

• Visited local primary schools and a college: The group was shocked to find out that many of Tanna Island’s students have to walk up to two hours (or 10km) just to get to school – a four hour round-trip. Some have the option to board, however, they live in facilities that are less than adequate.

 While they were on Tanna Island, they stayed in rudimentary accommodation – cold showers were the order of the day, and plenty of bug spray to deal to the crawlies!

The trip was an eye opener for everyone and the group had not envisaged the awful poverty, or the lack of infrastructure on the island that makes just getting around to the projects a major mission.

The whole team has come back to NZ realising how much they take life here for granted.
However, they are motivated by a mission to raise enough money to make a significant difference to their Pacific neighbours.

St Matthew’s Collegiate and World Vision would like to thank all those who have offered some assistance to make this trip possible, in particular, Masterton Medical (for help with our medical needs) and Reeves Office Products, Masterton, for the donation of stationery items.