Preloved school furniture from schools across the Diocese of Broken Bay was sent to Fiji last month to help rebuild cyclone-afflicted schools on the outer islands.
After the 2016 Cyclone Winston devastated an island off Suva, the schools were rebuilt but the Fiji Government did not have the resources to furnish them. The Diocese banded together to help by providing furniture, school uniforms and stationery.
Cowan and Lewis, a school uniform provider which manufactures much of their range in Fiji, covered the cost of a 20-foot shipping container to transport the furniture to Fiji. The Fijian Government then shipped the container to the island.
Stationery provider Complete Office Supplies provided a truck and three men to transport the furniture within New South Wales.
“Both these organisations answered the call to support this project without hesitating and with their full support the container was filled to capacity and is now on its way to Fiji,” said Brian Williams, the Procurement Manager at the Catholic Schools Office, who organised the endeavour.
“What a great result! The school staff who supported the project and our two partners have ensured that Fijian students have great desks, chairs and library books to support their learning.”