Children’s Day – July 27

This Sunday we celebrated Children’s Day. This is a public holiday in Vanuatu. The kids had been preparing for a couple of weeks with Paula and Mrs Katrina and all the Mamas busy making new shirts and dresses for all the children (matching blue and pink!) We then all met together to paint them.

The children all gathered in the morning dressed up in their new clothes and marched to the chapel with a banner and balloons. As we got close a string band was playing and they sang songs until the children arrived outside the chapel. The parents then put salu salu around each of their children’s necks as well as sprinkling perfume and powder.

Roger gave the children’s talk during church – mostly in BislamaJ - three stories about lions.
After church we went home briefly to bring our food back to share – and then enjoyed a small feast together - including a roast pig – the children being the honoured guests.

After this the children dressed up to present their book characters. Each child had been given a new story book a few weeks prior. Their task was to prepare a book review then make a costume representing their favourite character. They bravely took turns standing in front of the audience, in costume, talking about their character.

A small gift was then presented to each child and the Celebratory Cake cut. Roger had been commissioned to do the cake but spoke sweetly to Paula for “a little” assistance J

All in all a fun Celebratory day and a neat way to bless all the pikinini here

June Update

Ebule News

Getting Water in and Keeping Water Out

Focus at Ebule this month has been water. The good news is that after digging up the water line, the main break was discovered and repaired and now water can be pumped up to the tank and then can be distributed to the students staff and garden. Previously everyone was using rain water from some small tanks but when the rain stopped, the water was used up and this project became urgent. Now all the houses have water and the garden can be watered without carrying buckets. It has unearthed lots of small plumbing issues with taps etc,,, but at least its progress.

A group from the Presbyterian Church at Takara (a village about 4km from Ebule) have been re-roofing one of the staff houses for us also – this time to keep water out. The old roof was removed, new roof poles cut and then the roof replaced with Natangora. The major section of the roof is now complete and they will return next week to complete the small section over the bathroom/laundry area.

Also made good progress in the garden. The plants initially struggled, largely from lack of water, but now the first Chinese cabbage and beans are almost ready and potatoes, cabbage, carrots and lettuces all coming along.



Currently Rogers main teaching focus is working with the students on small motors – repairing generators, lawn mowers, weed eaters etc. Ebule really needs a good lawn mow – so yesterday they did a deal – and fixed up a lawnmower for an Australian down the road in exchange for using it to get the grass down. The students are particularly motivated if it will mean mowing enough ground to play soccer J
Well that’s Ebule over the last few weeks

Thanks for your support and interest

Roger and Paula