EXPANDING SCHOOLS IN THE SOLOMONS

Nestled in a quiet, tranquil bay, located East of Makira lies Our Lady Queen of Martyrs (OLQM) coeducational boarding school, the only Catholic school in the Makira Province. Home to 400 students, OLQM in Wainoni Bay attracts students from across Makira and surrounding provinces. Previously shut down in 1975 due to lack of funding, the Archdiocese of Honiara, Marist Fathers and Australian Marist Solidarity were able to reopen the school in 2018 after much needed renovations. The school now takes enrolments up to Year 10 but is hoping to extend the teaching curriculum to Year 11.

Fr Patelisio Tauga SM, the local parish priest, reports on the need for a school at Wainoni Bay: “After having meetings with parishioners, we have witnessed the need to establish a Catholic School to serve their children not only through academic levels but for spiritual support as well. Moreover, we have also seen all sorts of problems faced by their children which they believe can be solved with the right support. We believe that everyone deserves the chance to grow into healthy maturity and live holistic, happy lives.”

Due to its remote location, students attending the school can only access the road by boat - which is expensive due to increasing fuel prices - or by foot. Those travelling by boat can be subjected to rough seas due to the open ocean and wild weather patterns. Students travelling by foot can walk for up to two days.

As they are almost always unaccompanied by an adult during their travels, parents pack provisions for their journey. For safety reasons, students almost never travel alone, walking in groups with fellow peers, navigating their way along the coast towards the school and sleeping overnight, outside where they are safe and dry.

Only in recent years has a cell tower been erected for the surrounding village community in Wainoni Bay. This has meant that while the school is remote, there are now tele-communications available for students to contact their parents. The school however is entirely run on solar energy as the community does not have access to the electrical grid. Water is pumped from a local water source.

The rising population of youth in the Solomon Islands has led to a sharp increase in student enrolments. Through your support, AMS has provided support to construct a building block with six classrooms to meet the increased demand and additional enrolments. Construction for the site is to be finished in early-2024 with great progress shown.

Furthermore, you have helped support the building of male and female ablution blocks. To date, the female toilets and bathrooms have been completed, built close to their boarding houses. The previous location of the bathrooms block was problematic due to its far proximity. The new bathroom amenities help female students feel safer accessing the facilities after dark. The male bathroom amenities are nearing completion.

Through your continued support, we can continue to provide facilities and amenities that ensure safe and accessible education for students in remote sites like Wainoni Bay.

Images from Top to Bottom: The idyllic Wainoni Bay in the Makira Province of the Solomon Islands can only be accessed by boat or by foot. Building continues on new classrooms to allow for schooling to continue through to Year 11.