One of IEMEA's goals is to support education in under-resourced countries as a means to sustainable, local capacity-building. Currently, many children in Vanuatu do not have access to primary education. Some of the barriers include limited numbers of teachers, schools, and the inability of many families to afford school fees.

The Rowhani School is located on the Island of Espiritu Santo, in the nation of Vanuatu. Vanuatu is an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean. It is under-resourced, particularly in education and health.

Currently, the school serves 209 students from Kindergarten up to grade 10. The school is staffed by two kindergarten teachers, four primary teachers, six secondary teachers, a principal, a manager, a secretary, a cleaner and a caretaker. The physical structure of the school is made up of a total of 12 classrooms, a library, an assembly hall, a kindergarten and extension, a small first-aid room, 8 flush toilets and 2 showers as well as additional toilets and showers for staff and volunteers.

We are pleased that IEMEA is able to fund ten student scholarships and all of the infrastructure improvement needs of the school for 2008.

The infrastructure improvement
projects include:

• Plaster floors of 5 classrooms
• Purchase 30 sets of chairs and desks
• Upgrade louver windows
• Build a small kitchen needed for school lunch preparations