gvi fiji quarterly report june-oct 2011

8/3/2019 GVI Fiji Quarterly Report June-Oct 2011

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Global Vision International

2011 Report Series No. 001

GVI Fiji

The Yasawa Islands, Fiji

Quarterly Report 113

July October 2011


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GVI Fiji Yasawa June-October 2011

GVI Fiji Yasawa Program Report 113

Submitted in its entirety to:

Global Vision International

The Yasawa Trust Foundation

The Republic of Fiji Government, Western Division


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Produced by

Daniel Lund Country Director

And

Andrea Bending Base Manager

Thomas Turpin-Jelfs Project Leader

Lauren Bird Project Leader

GVI Fiji, Tovuto Base

Email:[email protected]

Web page:http://www.gvi.co.ukandhttp://www.gviusa.com
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.gvi.co.uk/http://www.gvi.co.uk/http://www.gvi.co.uk/http://www.gviusa.com/http://www.gviusa.com/http://www.gviusa.com/http://www.gviusa.com/http://www.gvi.co.uk/mailto:[email protected]


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Executive Summary

GVI began working in partnership with The Yasawa Trust Foundation in Fiji in early 2011and launched volunteer operations on June 18 th. This is the first quarterly report to be

produced by GVI Fiji. This document details the establishment of The Fiji Expedition,

Construction, and Education programs formed in partnership with the Yasawa Trust

Foundation. The following programs and projects are currently ongoing in the Yasawas.

Rainwater Harvesting System Construction in the Yasawa Islands

Fiji Education/Childcare Program

Charitable Trust Operations in Fiji

Community Garden initiative

GVIs Community development initiatives have now been operating in the Yasawa Islands

for a total of four months.

The program to date has successfully achieved the initial goals set forth by our partners,

The Yasawa Trust Foundation. In the first instance the Construction program has

developed the methods, material requirements, and logistics required to successfully

install rainwater harvesting systems in remote Yasawan villages. Since project launch inJune, ten new systems have been installed and a significant number of infrastructure

improvements have been completed. The overall water capacity of three villages on

Nacula Island has been increased significantly by this initiative. In the second instance, the

Education program has become an integral part of Ratu Meli Schools daily operations due

to the permanent presence of our teaching assistants. GVIs volunteers act as a versatile

support resource for each class and its teacher.


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The Yasawa Trust Foundation

The Yasawa Trust Foundation and Vinaka Fiji Program was established in 2010 to formalize and

further the work and economic assistance provided by South Sea Cruises, a privately owned tour

operator based in Fiji, to the people of the Yasawa Region.

The name of the assistance program Vinaka Fiji was chosen to reflect the two-way nature of the

relationship between those who operate and assist the Trust and the people of the Yasawas,

whose work it benefits.

The Trusts support is directed towards 4 key areas of need:

Water Power Education Health

The Trust has utilised the Ba Provincial Councils District Plan to assist in the prioritisation and

planning of their support.

The Yasawa Trust and GVI starting working in partnership in early 2011 to accomplish

these goals.


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Table of Contents

Executive Summary ......................................................................................................... i

The Yasawa Trust Foundation......................................................................................... ii

Table of Contents ........................................................................................................... iii

1. Introduction ................................................................................................................. 1

2. Rainwater Harvesting System Construction in the Yasawa Islands ............................. 2

2.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 2

2.2 Objectives ......................................................................................................... 3

2.3 Methodology ..................................................................................................... 3

2.4 Achievements ................................................................................................... 5

Community Gardens........................................................................................ 8

The International Rainwater Harvesting Alliance................................................ 9

2.5 Review .............................................................................................................. 9

3. Fiji Education/Childcare program ............................................................................... 12

3.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................... 12

3.2 Objectives ....................................................................................................... 13

3.3 Activities and Achievements ........................................................................ 15

3.4 Review ........................................................................................................ 19

4. Published Material ..................................................................................................... 21

5. Appendices ............................................................................................................... 23

5.1 Education Program Documents ................................................................... 23

5.2 Maps and Diagrams...................................................................................... 29


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1. Introduction

The Yasawa Trust Foundation and GVI have been developing interconnected initiatives

that have been defined by a holistic approach to community support and development.

The remote island communities of the Northern Yasawas struggle with the upkeep and

implementation of basic infrastructure. Fresh drinking water becomes scarce during the

dry season and in many cases the unreliable sources are unable to safely support village

populations. Local schools have difficulty with staffing and lack basic resources and

facilities. In most cases student performance is poor and pass rates low. Health facilities

are understaffed, lack resources, and struggle to support the needs of the local

community. Villages rely upon diesel powered generation for electricity which is expensive

and unsustainable. The culmination of these issues with water, education, health, and

power is an overall restriction on youth opportunities and education, adverse effects on

community health and nutrition, a lack of employment and means of income, and as a

result many villages have suffered both socially and economically.

The presence of volunteers in the Yasawas has been used as a way to bring both human

and material resources to these villages in a sustainable and productive way. This

interaction has opened up more possibilities for positive development, infrastructureimprovement, educational enrichment, and environmental awareness.


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2. Rainwater Harvesting System Construction in the Yasawa Islands

2.1 Introduction

In the Northern Yasawa Island chain access to safe drinking water is limited. These

volcanic islands have limited natural water catchment due to the porous nature of the

bedrock. Many villages rely upon a number of different water sources by utilising seasonal

wells, boreholes, and rainwater collection. Water shortages in the northern Yasawas are

exasperated and become critical during, what can be, a six month dry season, May-

October. During periods of drought, the Fiji government has in the past, been required to

send drinking water to the islands via barge after wells and water tanks have run dry.

The collection of rainwater as a source of drinking water is practiced by villages throughout

the Yasawa Island chain and throughout the Republic of Fiji. It is a safe and reliable way to

source drinking water. However, without sufficient collection capacity, appropriate

materials, long term water management plans, system upkeep, filtration, and a system of

water reserves, villages become particularly vulnerable to severe water shortages,

especially during the dry season.


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In early 2011, The Yasawa Trust Foundation identified 27 Yasawan Villages that had

ongoing problems with water security. The Yasawa Trust Foundation requested assistance

from GVI in the design, setup, and implementation of a volunteer powered water security

improvement program. In February 2011, GVI carried out a number of village water

security assessments in the Northern Yasawas to look at ways that a program could be

designed to support the initiatives and goals of the Yasawa Trust Foundation. In June

2011, GVI established and opened Tovuto Base on Nanuya Lai Lai Island and launched

operations on 18th June 2011.

2.2 Objectives

The Construction program aims to alleviate water security issues in the Yasawas by

providing long term solutions to village water problems. The secondary aim of The

Construction program is to create community vegetable gardens using methods that

enable villagers to grow a greater variety of green vegetables in order to improve nutrition

and provide an alternative source of income.

2.3 Methodology

The construction team carries out the following steps in order to accomplish the aims of

this program.

a) Village Assessment: volunteers carry out a full audit of the existing water

infrastructure in the village. During these assessments the team presents an

offering of Kava to the village Chief and his headmen in order to respect the

traditional protocols for village entry. The team is usually accompanied by the

Turaga Koro (headman of the village), a member of the Yasawa Trust board of

trustees, and a representative from The Fiji Water Authority. During this fact findingperiod volunteers note down information on the water sources in use, the overall

population, the number of existing water tanks, the condition and functionality of

these tanks, and list of required improvements. The population and current

rainwater collection capacity of the village is then applied to the Yasawa Trusts

requirement model of 5 litres per person per day during the 6 month dry season.


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After collecting this data and applying the results to the 5litre model the data is

collated and information on the required improvements and capacity deficit is sent

to the trust in a report.

b) Yasawa Trust Foundation Directives: After all assessment data has been collated

this information is passed through to the Yasawa Trust Foundation board of

Trustees who in turn provide information on the materials that will be made

available for infrastructure improvements.

c) Material Purchasing and Deployment: Materials are then ordered accordingly and

deployed to the islands via barge.

d) Volunteer construction crew deployment: The construction team travels to the

village in question once permission to begin operations is given by Village elders.

Volunteers engage in a variety of different tasks and activities. The main tasks are

as follows:

a) Preparation and deployment of materials from base to work site

b) Guttering improvements. Gutters are removed, replaced, re-pitched to

improve water collection efficiency

c) Cement base construction: cement bases for plastic tanks are mixed and

poured by hand using a 4 part gravel, 2 part sand, and 1 part cement mix.

d) New tanks are transported to the village and installed on cement bases.

e) New guttering systems are pitched and installed on suitable roofs and

connected to new tanks.

f) Basic 20 micron filters are installed as part of the RWH system and tested.

g) Lockable taps are installed after the filter.

h) Mesh is installed in expansion head to prevent debris from entering the

system.

i) Tanks, gutters, and roofs are cleaned to ensure a safe collection surface.


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j) Local headman and those in charge of water tanks are shown how to check

and use the filter system and advised on the benefits of locking tanks pre-

dry season to create a backup reserve of drinking water. Additionally, water

management workshops will be run in each village at the beginning of

December 2011 and throughout 2012.

k) Volunteers are trained in all areas of the process from correct use of

ladders and hammers to basic plumbing technics, adhesive use, and

cultural protocols that must be adhered to whilst working in local villages.

e) All materials used and improvements completed are logged by an appointed

person and then complied in a report by the Project Leader which is then passed to

the Country Director and Yasawa Trust Foundation Managers.

2.4 Achievements

Since June the Construction program has successfully installed ten new rainwater

harvesting systems and carried out significant rainwater system collection efficiency

improvements across three villages. It is estimated that when factoring in both efficiency

improvements and new capacity added through new installs this initiative has been able to

add around 110,000litres rainwater holding capacity in four months of operations. This

amount does not include efficiency improvements that we have been unable to value in

relation to liters collected and have therefore been marked n/ain the table below. Some

The Government is indeed grateful for the work that your team has

embarked on in partnership with Yasawa Trust Foundation in the

installation of water tanks that we supplied to Nacula Village. The

improvement to existing water tanks and roof catchments is a great

help to the communities. In the short visit we were able to witness thegreat work done and how the team had blended well with the students

at the school and the community as a whole.

Ruth Atu, District Officer


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basic calculations in relation to gutter length and surface area have been used to evaluate

other improvement maintenance that has been completed.

Village Name Nacula

Population 175

Existing Capacity 391800 litres

Capacity in use prior to operations 314400 liters

Total Capacity Deficit

capacity sufficient, required efficiency

improvements and tank connections

Capacity added by program 37,400 litres

Location Improvements Completed Capacity Added

Main Church (YTF1) New System. Base, guttering, tank, filter system 10,000 litres

Western Edge (YTF2) New System. Base, guttering, tank, filter system 10,000 litresHealth Centre (YTF3) New System. Base, guttering, tank 5,200 litres

Catholic Church New guttering 5,000 litres

Zacharias House New guttering 2,000 litres

Ratu Meli School (YTF4) New System. Base, guttering, tank, filter system 5,200 litres

Ratu Meli School (YTF5) New Base n/a

Village Name Nisisilli

Population 300


Capacity in use prior to operations 228400 litres

Total Capacity Deficit 49100 litres

Capacity added by program 48000 litres


Community Hall, YTF7 New System. Base, guttering, tank, filter system 10000 litres

Community Hall, YTF8 New System. Base, guttering, tank, filter system 10000 litres

House #8 Yasawa Trust 9 New System. Base, guttering, tank, filter system 5,200 litres




House #29

Re-pitched guttering to maximise catchment,

installed 10mmx50mm netting in expansion

head, re-glued 2xMS5EA joiners n/a

House #47 installed new diversion plumbing n/a

House #55 guttering repaired n/a


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House #58 re-pitched guttering to maximise catchment n/a

House #78

all guttering replaced, installed netting in

expansion head, sealed downpipe entry into

tank n/aHouse #81 installed complete diversion guttering system n/a

House #52 base constructed n/a

Village Name Malakati

Population 148


Capacity in use prior to operations 42,200 Rainwater, 10,400 Spring water

Total Capacity Deficit 82450 litres

Capacity added by program 18,200 litres in process


Kindergarten, YTF7 Cement base constructed, guttering installed awaiting tank

Village Church, YTF13 Cement base constructed, guttering installed awaiting tank

Community hall new guttering and diversion system installed 3,000 litres

GVIs construction program in the Yasawa Islands has become a known and valued

initiative in the Northern end of the island chain. We frequently receive calls from village

headmen with questions regarding water and requests to assist the villages with further

maintenance. Our introduction of filter systems and emphasis on the importance of

lockable taps as a way to regulate water usage during the dry season have been well

received and progress is being made with regards to water management education and

awareness. At the end of November 2011, GVI and YTF representatives will work along

side government officials in the villages to deliver a series of workshops relating to water

management and new agriculture approaches.


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Community Gardens

The construction team has built two community gardens since program launch. The first

garden was built as a prototype and is located on Tovuto base. The garden is built on a

raised soil box and sheltered from strong UV rays using shade nets. The team has

successfully been able to grow a variety of green vegetables including, green beans,

lettuce, cucumber, green peppers, and Chinese cabbage. A second large community

garden was built at Ratu Meli School and the education program will be working in the

upkeep of this garden into the weekly school curriculum. By trialing the use of small

rainwater collection tanks and irrigation piping, we hope to prove the viability of new

agriculture as a source of alternative income and nutrition to a greater extent in 2012.

Tovuto Base Vegetable Garden


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The International Rainwater Harvesting Alliance

GVI joined the International Rainwater Harvesting Alliance in May

2011. This organisation serves as a resource pool for organisations

and individuals world-wide involved with RWH as a solution to water

shortage and as a sustainable resource. Since joining the Alliance

GVI Fiji has been actively contributing to the forum with video posts

and blog updates and we have recently submitted a number of

photos to the Raindrops Award photo competition. Furthermore,

there are plans for GVI Fiji to contribute a number of articles to the

IRHA news paper charting the progression of our Rainwater

Harvesting Initiatives here in Fiji. The IRHA has connected the Fiji

programs to a wider international knowledge base and provided

both staff and volunteers the opportunity to understand our work on

an international scale and as part of a world-wide solution.

2.5 Review

The International Rain

Harvesting Alliance (IRHA)

created in Geneva in Nove

2002 following recommend

formulated during the World S

for Sustainable Developme

Johannesburg two months e

The mandate called for

federation and unification o

disparate rainwater harv

(RWH) movement around the

to promote rainwater as a va

water resource and to bui

achievements in this field fo

fulfillment of the Mille

Development Goals.

In partnership with the most em

organisations and individuals

field, the IRHA provides a lob

and advocacy platform for RW

supports the growth of

solutions to water supply proble

also provides a forum fo

members to work together or

experiences, and thus for the b

of people living with water scarc

www.irha-h20.org

It is very much rewarding to see how Rainwater harvesting practice starts

to be better understood and implemented. I visited your websites and I

found the same sensitivity as we have about the physical and moral

growing up of the young generation. Your activity in Fiji could be a good

example for many islands in the world where rain becomes an extremely

important water resource.

We are welcoming your wish to become an organization member of theIRHA. Again, it will be a strong message that rainwater should be betterdeveloped in similar conditions.

Vessela MontaExecutive DirectorInternational Rainwater Harvesting Alliance IRHA
http://www.irha-h20.org/http://www.irha-h20.org/http://www.irha-h20.org/


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Over the past four months the GVI construction team has carried out base line

assessments in nine villages and begun construction operations in three villages: Nacula,

Nisisilli, and just recently, Malakati. As detailed in the methodology description above, the

teams task list is dictated by a process of assessment and review which is completed by

GVI, The Yasawa Trust, and the Fiji Government. This collaboration has enabled us to

utilize the resources available as efficiently as possible whilst maximizing the use of

volunteer labour hours. It has been important to tailor make our daily operations based on

volunteer numbers, materials available, and transportation logistics.

Running a small volunteer powered construction company in a remote location in the

South Pacific is no easy task and the team has spent time designing the logistics to makethis work possible on a continuous week-to-week basis. From project conception, through

to system design and test, first volunteer deployment, and the continuous duties involved

with culturally sensitive and productive community liaison these months in the field have

been packed full with a variety of challenges. The challenges have brought even further

emphasis on our achievements which are now at the point of moving from small scale to

visually recognisable. Villagers have become accustomed to using, and now appreciate,

the filters installed on new tanks that were quite alien when introduced in June. The

systems provided by the Yasawa Trust and installed by GVI are installed to a highstandard with secure diversion plumbing and efficient collection guttering. Though there

have thankfully been few problems with water borne illness in the Yasawas there have

been a number of times when our assessments have found dead rodents inside rainwater

systems. As a result, the new systems installed have fixed lids and mesh covering the

The Villagers are very happy that there is now more capacity for

water. The impact of having volunteers here has changed our

mindset of how we use our water. It has helped having the work

coordinated; the village boys are working in with the volunteers. I

would like to thank you very much for this; I didnt dream this

would happen here.

Ratu Apenisa Sivo Vunikoro, Nisisilli Village Chief


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expansion head to keep out rodents. Water filters must be checked monthly to monitor

filter health.

Completed Filter System

As we draw closer to the end of 2011, GVI and the Yasawa Trust have discussed ways to

continue to maximise our ability to successfully make lasting water infrastructure

improvements through the combination of hands on physical improvements and education.

It is clear that it is only through the delivery of both education and material resources thatwe can have a lasting impact. As our operations progress and our knowledge and

relationships in the Yasawas grow and improve, we hope to continue to highlight the

productive nature of the cooperative effort between local people, local government,

volunteer human resources, and the support of private business.

Its been a big help to the village. Before we had

private tanks, but owners were not so good at

sharing, (its) better with the community tanks

Vinaka Fiji has come & put in the 2 big tanks, we are

now using them and all are benefiting from them

Mr. Sakaraia, Nacula Village Spokesman


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3. Fiji Education/Childcare program

3.1 Introduction

It was evident from the onset of GVIs assessment as to the feasibility of volunteer

operations in the Yasawa Island in support of the varied goals of the Yasawa Trust

Foundation that our approach needed to be a holistic one. The Yasawan village

communities, many with populations of just over a hundred people, are fairly well

organised, self sufficient, traditional, and intimate places which due to both remoteness

and lack of income- are in need of support with basic infrastructure (water, power) and rely

upon poorly funded and managed health facilities and educational institutions. Ratu Meli

Memorial School on Nacula Island demonstrated a profile that could immediately benefit

from a permanent volunteer support presence.

Ratu Meli Memorial School, referred to herein as RMMS, is a government run primary

school with 152 pupils (ages 3-14) and 9 full time teachers. 132 of these pupils are in

classes 1-8, 20 are Kindergarteners, and 60 students board at the school 5 days a week.


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The boarding students are from four surrounding villages. Being a government school,

RMMS follows the national curriculum, delivered in English, and is supported by a local

committee from Nacula Village headed by Ratu Apeli high chief of this region of the

Yasawas.

The teachers of RMMS live in the school compound with their families and are on call for

boarding students 24/7. It is evident that many of the teachers have minimal qualifications

and struggle, in some cases, to deliver the curriculum in what is not their native language.

There have also been ongoing issues with poor teacher attendance and lack of class

supervision. Furthermore the school has limited resources and poor facilities despite being

a government institution. RMMS has had ongoing problems with poor pass rates, drop

outs, and low scores on national exams. It is evident that the standard of education

delivered by RMMS falls short of national standards.

When approached with the option of volunteer support RMMS staff responded very

positively and the first volunteers began assisting teachers in June 2011.

3.2 Objectives

The primary objective of the Fiji Education program is to establish a closely knit

relationship with RMMS and its community through a long term, ongoing volunteer

presence at the school. Volunteers are paired with teachers and work to support both the

class and its teacher through classroom management, administration, and the provision of

extra educational resources and activities. The continued interaction with English speaking

volunteers has been successful in improving English language aptitude and volunteers

focus on the one-on-one support needed to improve general literacy and numeracy as well

as creative skills of RMMS students. Ultimately, reducing the inequality of education

standards between what is delivered in the Yasawas and what is delivered on the

mainland.


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Completed Objectives this quarter

Focus on building a relationship with the local community, school committee andteaching staff at RMMS

Offer every teacher in the school volunteer support

Develop and implement a system for monitoring and recording progress as well as

building individual student profiles.

Implementation of a holiday school program across 4 villages

Execution of the first GVI Fiji charitable trust initiative to improve standards of

RMMS dormitories

Development of a Kindergarten program for 3-5 year olds to prepare them for class

1

Objectives Next quarter

Develop a reading program for junior classes (class 1-3). Increase the time the

pupils spend reading one-on-one with volunteers in order to improve reading

levels.

Establish a one-on-one tuition program to support those pupils with learning

difficulties.

Continue to improve the system used to monitor the progress of the pupils.

Offer additional support to pupils who are excelling in math and English across

classes 4-8

Build a relationship with new headmistress and hold more regular meetings

between staff and GVI to discuss progress and set goals.

Continue to raise awareness of the Charitable trust work towards the goal to build

a Kindergarten and improve overall facilities (toilets blocks, dorms, classrooms)


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3.3 Activities and Achievements

Methodology

Arrival on base - H&S, tour of base, cultural orientation, education program training

Introduction to school, outline of their time on the project, tips on lesson planning

and class management. Volunteers are then provided with a folder containing up to

date progress reports for the class they will be supporting. The folder also includes

an introduction to the class, a curriculum resource list, timetable and the progress

forms from previous volunteers. This resource enables the volunteer to learn more

about the pupils and their needs.

Arrival at school starts with a welcome assembly in which the new volunteers are

introduced to the whole school. The volunteer is then taken on a tour of the school

facilities before being introduced to the class they will be teaching. During the first

week the volunteers will also visit Nacula village where they will be prepared a

traditional Fijian lunch.

Progress forms - Volunteers are required to fill out lesson plans for music, art and

P.E weekly. Every 2 weeks volunteers are expected to complete individual student

progress forms and then meet with the Education Project Leader to discuss the

progress of their class and set future goals. Additionally, before leaving the

volunteers fill out a Departure Summary. This form is designed to provide the new

volunteer with any additional information required to make the transition between

volunteers smooth and ensure that they can continue to build on the progress

already made. Volunteers provide information about successful teaching

methods/activities, established routines, ongoing projects and any additional advice

which is relevant. All progress forms and lesson plans are filed in class folders and

handed over to next volunteer.

Debrief in the evening after school reflect on the day and discuss any

achievements or issues before discussing plans for the following day.


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Progress so far

Prior to GVIs presence at RMMS, the Kindergarten, which does not have its own space or

classroom and is usually held in the assembly hall, had very little structure and recently no

teacher at all for almost two weeks.

Over the past months the Education program has worked very hard to provide much

needed structure and support for kindergarten aged children. A daily routine has been

implemented and pupils are developing social, communicative and basic pre-academic

skills in preparation for Class 1. The numbers attending Kindergarten have gradually

increased since the beginning of the project. Due to the varied ages, 3-5 years old, that

attend kindergarten it can be very difficult to unite the different age groups and abilities

with the same task. By having 1-2 volunteers in class to support the teacher, the groups

can successfully be divided by age and in doing so daily routines can be tailor-made to be

more appropriate for each age group. This has added significant value to the daily lessons.

GVI volunteers have been assisting in all classes at RMMS and we continue to have the

volunteer numbers to ensure this. Both the staff and the pupils have welcomed us into the

school and volunteers are now established as part of the school and its operations. We

have successfully started monitoring the pupils on an individual level in order to meet their

needs more effectively on a one-on-one basis. Volunteers are also able to provide

resources previously unavailable at the school which has been particularly beneficial to the

creative development of the pupils.


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Charitable Trust

Using funds raised through the GVI Charitable Trust (www.gvi.org) we have carried out

basic renovations on the dormitories at the school to make them a much safer and

comfortable environment for the children. The program has successfully rallied support of

GVI Charitable Trust initiatives at RMMS. We are currently distributing relevant information

to a number of potentially large donors. The GVI Fiji Charitable Trust is currently raising

funds to build a kindergarten building for RMMS. We have raised almost 900 of the

6,500 target.

Children of the Sun: holiday school program

During the school holidays, the Education program has run a holiday school in four of the

local villages over a period of two weeks. Volunteers travel to each village for two days

and run a program of creative enrichment activities and games from 8:30-12:30. During

the last holiday period, GVI volunteers travelled to Nacula, Nisisilli. Navatua, and Malakati

village. Children of all ages took part in sports contests, arts and crafts projects, games,

treasure hunts, and other activities. During school holidays most children receive little

supervision and this program was successful in both building our relationship with the

villages and also providing children with an exciting, different, and educational way to

spend their free time.
http://www.gvi.org/http://www.gvi.org/http://www.gvi.org/http://www.gvi.org/


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Accreditation Legal Permission to Assist

The Yasawa Trust and GVI Fiji have been granted official permission from the Ministry of

Education to assist in Government run schools. This is vital to ensure the long term

viability and success of the program.


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3.4 Review

GVIs relationship with Ratu Meli Memorial School has evolved very quickly and both the

students and teachers of Ratu Meli Memorial School have been receptive to the new

resource of volunteer support. In many cases, this extra support has opened up new

scope for the way the day is organised and activities and lessons delivered with volunteers

able to take responsibility for different aspects of the daily workload. As the programs

main prerogative has been to support the teachers of RMMS enabling them to better utilise

time and resources towards the provision of the national curriculum, it has been important

for Project Leaders to get direct feedback from these teachers. Head teacher, Mr. Manoa

and Mr. Saki (class 8) provided the following comments:

"The school, children and community feel very fortunate to be helped by the members of GVI. Thechildren love being taught by the volunteers, they are able to speak English all the time and theybring many new interesting activities.

We also thank GVI for carrying out maintenance on our school dorms. Without their help this wouldnot have happened. Now the dorms are much brighter and safer for the children."

Mr. Manoa, RMMS Head Teacher

"The GVI volunteers have eased the workload on all the teachers and we enjoy their company inthe classroom. They come up with creative ideas for lessons that are beneficial to the teachers andpupils."

Mr. Saki (class 8)

With the introduction of one-on-one tuition for both students in need of extra support and

students who demonstrate high performance in the classroom and a new system of one-

on-one reading sessions with students to help improve reading ability and Englishaptitude, volunteers have a very personal hand in the support of students. One-on-one

support was not a possibility with the ratio of students to teachers previously. It is this

element of the current program which will not only enable volunteers and teachers to

monitor individual performance but will also enable volunteers to tailor-make enrichment

activities and support sessions for these students.


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One-on- one tuition


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4. Published Material

Excerpt from article published in November 2011, International Rainwater Harvesting Alliance

Newsletter


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Clipping from Fiji Sun National Newspaper article:


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5. Appendices

5.1 Education Program Documents

Documentation examples

Sample Student Profile Form

STUDENT Adi

CLASS 5

WEEK 9

VOLUNTEER Lauren

WORK HABITS Needs

Attention

Acceptable Very Good Excellent

Class Behaviour X

Effort X

Attendance X

ENGLISH

Overall progress

She does well in class, working independently and often

finishing first. Adi scores well in spelling and is good at

creative writing. She can also recognise more complex

mechanisms such as synonyms and antonyms.


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Areas for

improvement/future

learningAlthough Adi reads well she struggles with English

Comprehension, only passing her mid-year exam by 1

mark. Although she is a competent reader, she may not

fully understand what she is reading.

What can we do to

support this pupil?As with the whole of class 5, more practice of

comprehension exercises is needed. Reading with Adi

one-on-one and asking questions about the content

throughout would make a big difference.

MATHEMATICS

Overall progress

Adi is one of the smartest students and she can usually

complete all math tasks unassisted. She is competent at

addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. She is

also able to tell the time and calculate measurement

conversions.

Areas for

improvement/future

learningWork on mental arithmetic, particularly addition and

multiplication. Advancing to more complex mathematics

would also keep her stimulated in class.


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What can we do to

support this pupil?

Adi would benefit from being given some extra work and

could be taken out of the class to work on some more

advanced mathematics with a volunteer. Currently shefinishes her work first and then shares her answers

around the class which is a problem. She is eager to

learn and I think would be very receptive to extra tuition.

Volunteer handover summary

Departure Summary

This form is designed to provide the new volunteer with any additional information

not covered in the weekly progress forms or the student profiles. Please provide

the information required to make the transition between volunteers smooth and

ensure that they can continue to build on the progress you have already made

Example Form:

Are there any areas of study that the new volunteers should work on? Can

you suggest any future goals?

English composition is a big problem area in Class 4. Students struggle forming

sentences on their own. In general, students grammar and spelling is poor. They

struggle with verb tenses and singular/plural. Students may have an idea of what to

write, but they struggle translating their thoughts into strong sentences. Students

punctuation is poor. They often forget periods (full-stops). Many do not even know

what commas, apostrophes, semicolons are, let alone how to use them. The ability

to write English is very important and should be a primary focus for these kids next

year and beyond.

Reading and English comprehension are also vital to their educations, and many

kids struggle in these areas, as well. There is a large gap in reading abilities

between the strongest and weakest kids in the class. The strongest kids can read

basic passages easily, but the weakest students have a lot of difficulty reading any


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sentence. We have identified the students who are having the most trouble in

these areas. They should be given as much extra help (individual sessions) as

possible. Hopefully these sessions will help increase their confidence.

Students in general perform better in Maths. They also seem to enjoy the subject

more. Long division is a big problem. Students have difficulty conceptualizing

division and multiplication and consequently they dont do well in these areas.

In terms of future goals, I think exposing the students to things that are happening

in the outside world is a great thing. Fijian education seems very sheltered from the

rest of the world.

Can you recommend any successful activities/teaching techniques/delivery

methods?

The students love arts and crafts. Arts and crafts are a nice way to break up the

subjects. Students will lose interest and complain if the teachers work them too

hard. Arts and crafts alsohelp improve kids creativity. Face painting was also

very successful. This can be a stressful activity for the volunteers. The kids will

fight for specific colours and will crowd the volunteers as they are painting their

faces.

Successful activities that are more academic-based include hangman, times-

tables, and Words of the Day.

I think teaching with enthusiasm is the most important thing. The energy you showas a teacher is contagious and the students generally respond positively to it. If you

show up to class tired and uninterested in teaching then the students will most

likely not engage themselves in whatever you are teaching.


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Are there any established routines or ongoing projects that the new

volunteer should be aware of?

We have begun a Wordof the Day and Country of the Day lessons. For Word of

the Day we have picked one word for each letter of the alphabet and we quizzed

the kids on the words. The new volunteers in Class 4 can begin at the beginning of

the alphabet again and perhaps give them a quiz every two weeks. The Country of

the Day sessions havent been as successful but they are still worth doing. We

pick countries using the encyclopaedia and we teach the students interesting facts

about each country. So far we have covered France, UK, US, China, Australia,

New Zealand.

Please provide some feedback on the teacher and their expectations of you

in class?

Mr. Manoa is the Class 4 teacher and headmaster. He has been absent from class

for the past two weeks. He shows some promise as a teacher when he is in the

classroom, but he is rarely ever in the class.

Any general advice for the new volunteer

Stay as patient as possible. This is a very difficult class to manage. Rely on your2nd volunteer for help. Take turns instructing the class. One person could instruct

the class while the other takes a few students for extra help in reading, writing, etc.

Bring as much energy as possible every morning. Try to get a good night sleep

during the weeknights so you are prepared in the morning. Plan the day as much

as you can, but be flexible because the kids will often cause you to deviate from

the plan.


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Graduating Class 8 yearbook example

Produced by students and volunteers.


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5.2 Maps and Diagrams


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Ratu Meli School

Nacula Village


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Rainwater Harvesting System diagram

Basic Filtration system


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Guttering pitch


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