Recent Developments[Return to Projects & Developments]Letters from Sister PatriciaThis page is decidated to communcating the latest news from the aid work in Fiji. The following are all excerpts from letters by Sister Patricia. If you have any questions or comments, please contact Sister Patricia at the address below, or you may contact Patrick McLaughlin.
Sept., 2005On March 15th 2003 we opened a house next door as a Developmental Centre, offering twelve different courses that we found the people needed after some research among the poorest of the poor. For example, the centre offers courses in Budgeting , Cookery, Remedial Education, Art as well as Introduction to Computers. The first six months we had eleven students for the computers course, but no interest in the other subjects except remedial math's, reading and music. Today, however, in the computer course we have 160 students enrolled and only last Monday after letters to the Minister of Education and visits from her Department we have received recognition of our Certificates. Graduation takes place twice a year so we are going to invite the Minister of Education to the next one in November. My hope is that the Department of Education will take over the Centre should our community not be here or even if we are here, as there serves a great need for the students that can't afford to pay the big fees to the Computer Colleges here. We only charge $20 dollars for the students folder, notes, tuition and graduation. Have a grant from Conrad Hilton Foundation in the States and that was how we were able to start the Centre. 
The picture [to the right] is taken in a village that you only can get to by boat and the children are fishing for frogs to play with! There are thirteen villages on this island and they are surrounded by water. They only have drinking water two or three days a week. So we are looking for funds to build water tanks in the village. Are not the children beautiful! This next picture [below]] is of Sister Liku with some of the class at the entrance to their school. The school in the background is a Muslim Primary and Secondary. Our School is only Primary and has now 589 children on roll, so all classrooms are overcrowded. The best news we have is that we now have a hall and for the first time ever we will have a school concert.  On my desk at the moment are thirty four letter of people requesting house replacements or house repairs. Have already finished five new houses and repaired ten others but the numbers keep growing and the funds are finished. The above are excerpts from letters by Sister Patricia [Return to Projects & Developments] |