One Love, One Heart, One Vision
- Walking Together Into The Heart

Day 3

Today our opening prayer gave us the opportunity to reflect on and give thanks for our indigenous peoples. We spent time with nature, with gratitude.

The input and process work continued with Lee Toll and Liz Taylor, as we learned more about Chevalier and his time in history, as well as his special gift to the church and the world.

This evening we were joined for dinner by sisters from local communities including Theresa Coleman, Mary Ruth Bayard, Pauline Richards, Noelle Albert, Pauline Compton, Robyn Taylor, Caterina Merlino, Maria Tiara, Christina Itinraoi, Monica Donnan. We enjoyed each others company and shared experiences.

The evening Sharing of Culture was a chance to welcome Pauline Richards and Elaine Cochrane to the Kiribati experience.

To begin the evening, we had a beautiful dance presentation by our participants and sisters.

We then viewed a great DVD, which took us all around the island of Tarawa and to the outer islands. We heard about the experience of World War Two on the island of Tarawa and saw some of the still remaining bunkers.

The Marine Training Centre was visited and we heard that many men train here to go to sea on large ships. Revenue from the sailors assists the family members who are at home.

Large fishing boats also provide employment for many men. The contract term for fishermen on the Japanese boats is one year.

The climb to the highest point in Kiribati takes...three steps! as the highest point is three metres above sea level. This makes the country very vulnerable to tsunami and climate change. The current President was interviewed for the DVD and he noted that Kiribati has hard choices to make in relation to climate change. The importance of education was emphasised, especially if it comes to pass that the people have to relocate to other countries.

We also visited Bairiki Prison. The main door was ajar...because there is nowhere to escape to! The female prisoners were having a game of volleyball outside the gates.

The unemployment rate in Kiribati is 80 percent. We visited a large squatter settlement on a beach and saw the effects of the over population of the area of south Tarawa. Many flock to the main island hoping for work… so it is overpopulated.

On our trip to North Tarawa we visited Immaculate Heart School, run by our sisters. IHS went co-ed in 1975. All the students are boarders and they do the washing, cooking and cleaning. We saw them at work and play. The sisters are still in the school, looking after the girls and teaching Religious Education and looking after the cooking and other school needs. The sisters are highly respected in the schools. Sometimes the imported food for the boarders runs out and each village will then help out with local food until the cargo arrives.

St Louis School, where Rose teaches, has more than 1000 students from form 1 to form 7.

We are proud of all our Kiribati sisters as well as our Aussie sisters who are there: Sr Eileen, Sr Aileen and Sr Margaret!

In Question Time we learned:

1. The rubbish we saw on the beaches in the DVD is being cleared. The Government is making a big effort about this.
2. The most difficult problem facing the students is lack of jobs. Vocational schools are promoted and traditional skills are taught there. Very few are able to continue their education beyond high school, so it is very important that they learn traditional skills.
3. Three of the four Presidents of Kiribati are ex students of Sacred Heart College.
4. The custom of the people is to help relatives and also people who are not your relatives.
5. The school students come from the different islands, all over the place.
6. There are National exams to enter high school.
7. There are not Chiefs...the old men are running the Village in the outer islands.They meet together and make decisions.
8. The Vice President is a woman.
9. Teacher training is done on the main island in a government college.
10. In early days the religious provided all the educational establishments.
11. The primary schools are looked after now by the Government.
12. Nurse training is done on the main islander are invited to Kiribati to teach!

 
You will be interested to see some photos of the excursion to the Koala Park last Monday!