Kayaking for literacy in the Solomon Islands

(CNS): A Cayman Islands resident and a visitor from Australia have decided to endure intense pain, risk dehydration and sunstroke, and become mentally and physically drained by paddling more than 100km around Grand Cayman in a kayak on the 27 and 28 June in order to raise funds for an adult literacy progamme in the Solomon Islands. Kent Pearce, who works on Grand Cayman for the Butterfield Fulcrum Group, and Simon Davis are members of Australian charity, Pain for Gain, which raises money for worthy causes by competing in extreme sporting events that they are totally unsuited for.

Funds raised through the event will go towards Basic Adult Self Education (BASE), a school on located just outside Honiara, the capital city of the Solomon Islands on the island of Guadalcanal, a 2,510 square mile island with a population of just over 100,000. BASE was started in 1992 by Father Niall (above), an Irish priest who has been in the Solomon Islands since the 60s, and is now assisted by Sister Maureen, a New Zealand nun.

Adult illiteracy is a widespread problem in the Solomon Islands and many adults cannot find paid work because they can’t read and parents can’t teach their children how to read. The concept of BASE is to teach basic reading skills to illiterate adults and young people who can no longer afford to go to school. The belief is that by teaching parents this in turn will increase child literacy. According to Pain for Gain, because of its popularity, the current school is at full capacity and students are being turned away every week, so BASE is now looking to expand and wants to build classrooms so that they can run their course in outlying villages. (Left: entrance to Vatukola Village)

A local village called Vatukola has donated land in which to build a learning facility, and it is the goal of Pain for Gain to raise the funds to build a classroom on this land. The total cost for the project is USD$6,000 and the two men hope to raise sufficient funds from the Paddle around Cayman fundraiser to make this project a success.

“I was in the Solomons in February and saw firsthand the amazing things that the BASE program is achieving,” Davis, the Pain for Gain chair, said. “The current school, which is run by Father Niall and Sister Maureen, fits 25 students a day. However this limited only by the size of the school, not by demand. The new classroom that we are fundraising to build in Vatikola village will fit an estimated 20 extra students as well extending the outreach of the BASE program.” According to Davis, the BASE program has helped thousands of adults , aged 16 and above, since it opened. “I saw a few students in their 50s attending the course and learning to read! It was inspirational,” he said.

Father Niall and Sister Maureen will continue to teach at the original centre, while Canute, a former student, and will be the teacher of the new centre that will be built in Vatukola (right). “Father Niall and Sister Maureen are keen to have the local Solomon Islanders teaching themselves and becoming independent. This is one of the reasons I was so impressed by this project. Once this new classroom
is running successfully they will look at building new classrooms in other villages to address the widespread problem of adult illiteracy.”

Visit www.painforgain.com for more on the charity, or click the ad on CNS to find out more about the “Paddle around Cayman” fundraiser.