“You just want to stay and help!”

Our second day took us to Irigilia, a two hour boat ride from Gizo. Again we received the friendly welcome -  firstly from the painted warriors and then from the singing children. It is humbling to see how much these visits mean to people that they go to so much trouble. The welcome  included singing, dancing and music played on plastic pipes which made a surprisingly good sound.

Irigilia has a population of over 2,000 people and their school included three classroom blocks. The tsunami bowled over two blocks and the third remains standing. We saw one building still standing after the earthquake which was on a 45 degree angle and needs to pulled down and the materials recycled.

UNICEF provided tents and School-in-a-box kits to enable classes to resume as quickly as possible.  School-in-a-box kits provide the essentials for a teacher to resume classes after an emergency and contain paper, pencils, rubbers, a blackboard and chalk, and some games to help students have some fun after a traumatic experience.

UNICEF has built a new school further away from the sea and up on a hill which will be completed in plenty of time for the new school year in 2010. The new school will of course include provision of safe water and latrines. Some work still needs to be done to clear land for a playground. The old school will be used for year 13/14 pupils, which is a bonus for these children because it means that their education will go beyond primary schooling.

But what makes you angry after talking to the people of Irigilia, is that an overseas logging company took all their logable timber and then left. They could so easily have gifted the timber rather than rape the community of their asset. The pillaging that sometimes happens in developing countries by industrialised countries was sadly illustrated in Irigilia. This school is one of the very few prefabricated schools in the total Build Back Better project.

Before we left for Gizo Dr Isiye Ndombi, head of UNICEF Pacific, declared the village Environmentally Child Friendly as all the people have committed to recycling and composting instead of throwing their rubbish in the sea. The paper coloured hands the children are holding have a message written on them about how to be Family Safe. The fingers say: recycle rubbish; breastfeeding is best nutrition; wash your hands; sleep under a malaria net; boil water before drinking.

Another inspiring day.

As Jo Morgan commented “You just want to stay and help these people”.