INDONESIA, Kaibolafin Village, Kola Island, Maluku - January 2005
Upgrading village rainwater collection system and school reconstruction in exchange for the establishment of a 500-acre no-take forest reserve
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Kaibolafin Village is located on Kola Island, one of a cluster of low-lying Aru Islands in the middle of the Arafaru Sea. Kaibolafin consists of 55 fishing families who currently rely on rainwater, which is collected from the village church roof in a single storage tank that is in urgent need of repair and refurbishing. During the dry season, the villagers can only obtain fresh water from a forest well located two kilometers away or by collecting it from one of the neighboring islands, a 30 minute boat-ride away. In addition to the village's water problem, a severely broken-down school serves the needs of 70 elementary school students in the village. The village is willing to create a 500-acre permanent no-take forest reserve. In exchange, Seacology will provide a new village rainwater catchment system as well as complete construction of the elementary school. *
UPDATE July 2005 - In the first part of 2005 the village set the plans to upgrade the collection system, rebuild the school and establish the forest reserve. Installation of the storage tank for the rainwater collection system is scheduled to begin in summer 2005, followed by the rebuilding of the school. The project is scheduled to be finished by the end of 2005.
UPDATE January 2006 - The first stone for the school was laid down in November 2005. The foundation is complete and columns are being erected as of this writing.
UPDATE January 2007 - There were several delays in 2006 due to the project leader’s poor health, lack of water in the area for mixing cement, and difficult transportation of materials. In spite of these obstacles a new roof, new walls, new floor, new doors and windows were constructed by late 2006 and the village is entering the finishing stages of reconstruction. The building is scheduled to be completed in early 2007 when the project will move on to constructing the rainwater collection system.
UPDATE June 2007 - Major construction was completed in early 2007 and the building is in use. Painting, adding ceramic flooring, installing doors and building a rainwater collection system is scheduled for mid-2007.
UPDATE December 2007 - Completion of the project was scheduled for mid-2007 but had to be delayed due to a large government project occupying all the skilled labor in the area. The government project is scheduled to be finished in December 2007. Painting, adding ceramic flooring, installing doors and building a rainwater collection system to the Seacology funded school is now scheduled to be completed by April 2008. The protected area is reported as being upheld with no problems.
*Support for asterisked projects is provided fully or in part by the
Nu
Skin Enterprises Force for Good Foundation
