Home | About Us | Learning | Living | News | Events | Contact Us THE PARTNER SCHOOL PROJECT Bahowo School, Indonesia QAS students visit Since fundraising began in support of Bahowo village, Indonesia, QAS money has funded materials and equipment for a new school building and sports area, provided a much-needed medical centre for the village, enabled further education for senior students, purchased a bus and most recently bought two young cows. Over the summer Emily Thomas and Kate Ireland visited Bahowo to meet the children, teachers and villagers, and see how the funds have improved their lives. We spent a lot of time at the school, especially early in the morning when the children sing in lines outside the school before they begin their chores - each child helps clean the school inside and out before classes begin.  While we were there, we also had a chance to go to Manado, the nearest city to Bahowo.  With QAS funds we bought pencil cases, which we filled with pencils, pens, erasers, rulers and sweets to give each child.  We also bought books for all ages, so that the children can read stories other than the state-provided educational books, which are very serious. We met the two girls we are funding through university, named Tofina and Ingrid, who are both really intelligent. It is expected that that if QAS continues to fund Bahowo students through university the majority is likely to be girls because - as we know - girls tend to work harder! The new medical centre is very important to the village.  It has been well equipped with medicines, bandages, and so on, and a doctor now visits the village three times a week.  Also, because the clinic is an air-conditioned room - the only one in the village - overheated children, who in the past would have died, can be taken there, saving their lives. For the poor people in Bahowo, to have this relatively cheap access to healthcare is priceless. The rebuilt bus, which was funded by the school fete after sports day in June, also has great purpose in the village.  Many of the young men who were previously unemployed, now take the bus into Manado on Monday morning and return on Saturday night, enabling them to work all week in the expanding casual labour sector in Manado.  The bus also takes all the high school children to school every morning, increasing their chances of gaining a School Certificate, which is now needed for most types of employment - even for jobs such as driving a lorry. The most recent project has been the purchase of two young cows and a cart to allow the villagers to take their coconuts and farming produce to market.  A few years ago Bahowo was forced to sell its cows to fund a difficult land dispute.  The villagers eventually regained possession of the lost land, but were unable to replace the cows. Instead they were forced to hire cows and a cart for the transportation, which considerably reduced their profits. Following delivery of the cows the school children were asked to put forward names, and these were sent to QAS for the final choice. The two cows are now known as Babi and Rose and Mr Philips, the cow man, is doing a fine job training them.   Top of the list for future benefit to the village is a rice-threshing machine, to process raw rice into a refined and saleable form.  The cost of this is likely to be in the region of £5,000. One of the best things about the trip to Bahowo was meeting the people, who are so friendly and welcoming.  We especially witnessed this on the Sunday we were there for the village’s birthday celebration.  Although complete strangers, we were given huge amounts of food at every house we visited, which the women had stayed up all night to prepare.  We were given babies to hold and treated as one of the family. It is also interesting to hear that since QAS funding began other neighbouring villages have started to set up similar arrangements to help them progress.   Background information about the project    Following the Tsunami, girls and staff from Queen Anne’s School worked to raise funds to help damaged communities across the affected area. Having responded in this immediate way we felt a need also to explore the idea of supporting a long term renewal project. After much research and discussion some very useful contacts were established. The most important of these was with the wife of the British Ambassador to Indonesia, who identified the Bahowo area as one where there is a great need for assistance.  As a teacher herself she was able to tell us about the difficulties experienced by Bahowo School.  The school was not damaged by the Tsunami, but suffered long-term deterioration owing to lack of funding.  Queen Anne’s set up a link project to become a Partner School to help improve the facilities and education for the Bahowo children. The school was in an extremely hazardous condition with very poor facilities for its pupils. Although the Government provided one new building quite recently, it was only large enough to house about half of the children attending the school. The remainder therefore were forced to use the old school building, which was in danger of collapse or falling into the sea.                                              Original school house and classroom The Partner School proposal was established to help Bahowo village by raising funds for the demolition of the old school building and replace it with a new facility.  By December 2006 The total amount raised  reached the target of £10,000.    Not only has this covered rebuilding costs for the school and a new sports area, the money has also enabled work to start on a brand new clinic for the village                               Demolition site and the new sports area Since the link project began the old derelict school building, was demolished and replaced new premises. The children have moved to their school and are also enjoying a new 'Queen Anne's sports area' which has been constructed on the site of the old building. Bahowo School was able to commission a  carpenter, Abner ( whose workshop is in the chicken house!) to make desks,  bookshelves, and storage cupboards for the new building.  Funds were also been used to buy text books, stationery, classroom and sports equipment. Construction of the clinic began at the end of 2006. The first foundation stone ceremony was held in October to ward off evil spirits, and was attended by various local dignatories, including the Head of the Health Department.