The day a tank arrived at Raburua

By JUNIOR UKAHA
THE students sat patiently under the shade of a rain tree waiting for their guests to arrive.
It was Friday, Nov 2, 2018.
The students had waited since 11am.
Most were obviously showing signs of fatigue and restlessness.
At around 2pm, their guests arrived; three ladies and a man. Two other men joined the group shortly afterwards.
The sun was high in the sky and the place was hot.
The cool sea breeze that usually swathes the place from the Blanche Bay was not blowing.
Roars of vehicle engines can be heard a few meters down the Kokopo-Rabaul Road as they rush to and from the two towns trying to make a quick profit from the busy Friday public.
Half of the students that have waited have since gone home due to various reasons.
A handful, however, remained with their teachers and the school’s chairman Dorcas Tade, determined to see who would be visiting their school.
Tiny squeaky sounds can be heard as wide-eyed students looked at the guests as they walked up the lawn to the school grounds.
Students clad in red shirts and blue pants and skirts began smiling at the guests as they approached.
The guests, from a local shipping and logistics company, were there to donate a water tank to the school.
It was a fairly small donation the company has made compared to its previous assistances, but for this school it meant a lot.
The Raburua Elementary School, located along the Kokopo-Rabaul Road, in the Raluana Local Level Government, was established in 1991 as a church school by the United Church.
It was later (in 1996) converted into a government elementary school.
It currently has 82 students and three full-time teachers.
Children from Raburua, Bitatita and Nguvalian villages in the Kokopo district attend the school.
The students and their teachers greeted the guests and with leis made from sweet-smelling frangipanis, a plant known to be plentiful in the New Britain area.
Tade wasted no time as she went straight into the introduction and her appreciation of the guests’ presence at the school and what the company, R & A Marine Services (Rams), was going to donate to the school.
She said it was the first time the school had received a donation from a company.
“This is a timely donation,” Tade said.
“It is a first of its kind since we first started the school in 1991.
“On behalf of the board and school, we thank you for this tank.
“It is blessing to us.
“During sunny days, our students bring their own water bottles to school because of water shortage,” Tade said.
She said the school also has other needs like a signboard, electricity connection, renovation of its three old classrooms and a security perimeter fencing around the school.
Tade said like many other schools around the country the Government’s tuition fee-free (TFF) funds were insufficient to cater for their infrastructure project needs so they looked elsewhere for assistance.
Rams spokesperson and human resources officer Ality Kiha thanked the students for patiently waiting for her delegation.
Kiha said the company decided to assist the school because it saw that the students needed a new tank to access clean drinking water.
She said the 5,000-litre tank was bought for K2,750 at a local hardware outlet.
Kiha said in line with the company’s community service outreach programme it has decided to assist the school to ensure that the students have easy access to clean drinking water.
“We want to give back something to the community in which we operate,” Kiha said.
“Water is a necessity in life and we want to contribute to the good health of the children with this water tank. Hygiene and sanitation are very important in an environment such as a school.”
Kiha said Rams had in the past made similar donations to the Raburua Primary School.
She said the company had in the past donated K10,000 worth of library books, sporting equipment and a 5,000 litres water tank to the primary school.
Kiha said Rams was looking forward to assist Raburua Primary School again this year with building new toilets and provide a carpenter to work on the incomplete teachers’ houses.
She said Rams was a privately-owned logistics, shipping and communications company operating in the country with branches in East New Britain, West New Britain, New Ireland and Western.
The students farewelled the delegation with gifts of food baskets and a basket containing tabu (traditional Tolai shell money).
A delighted Tade said she hoped the relationship between her school and Rams would grow stronger in the future.
The water woes of the school will now be over and students can access clean drinking water from the tank once it is installed.