Bright future for youngest members of island community

For many children in Vanuatu, the ride to school is often in a canoe. While this might seem like a fun alternative to the school bus, the long boat ride is often a barrier to children accessing school, especially pre-school education. Without an education, children miss out on the opportunity to get a good job and participate in their community, and find it difficult to access services and manage household accounts.

For 13 year old Kennedy and the other children in his island community, getting to school was always a challenge. There was no pre-school or primary school on Kennedy’s island so for him and the other children to attend school, parents had to paddle for 30 minutes across to the mainland. Many families left their children on the mainland with extended families because it was such a burden to travel so far every day. Although Kennedy had a learning disability, his father continued to take him across to the mainland on a canoe to find a school Kennedy could attend. However, with his learning difficulties, Kennedy was not able to progress so he stayed home while all his friends continued on to primary school.

In 2010, World Vision started an Early Childhood Education (ECE) project in Kennedy’s community. The aim of the ECE centre is to teach children valuable life skills and numeracy and literacy skills that will set them up to succeed in primary school. The centres also train parents and community leaders and encourage them to take ownership of the centre and participate in classes. 

Kennedy is now attending the ECE centre and although he is 13, he has been happily accepted by his teachers and his fellow students and he loves his new school. 

Kennedy’s father says the project is like a gift to the community, especially to parents and their young children: no longer do young children get separated from their parents to attend school and no longer do parents have to paddle back and forth every morning and afternoon with their children.

 “I cried when the children came to my house and sang at my front door. They touched my heart; they are so fortunate. I thought of the days when I would paddle with Kennedy to places looking for a school where he could have an opportunity like this,” he says.

 “I am very proud that our community is catching up again. I see parents getting up early in the morning to get their children ready for school and I feel very happy inside.”