Over the past months from June through to September, SWIM base here in the Solomon Islands has been through tough dry seasons to the point where water became scarce and health was a battle not just because of the covid-19 pandemic but several SWIM staff have been under several health attacks. With your support in the form of praying, finance and other means and by God’s grace, SWIM has continued with the ministries and kept them going.
Everyone at SWIM is excited that the ministry is reigniting after a long country lockdown.
The Solomon Island Workgroup (SIW) want to thank so many of you who supported SWIM by giving generously to the Compassionate Catalogue. You have enabled SWIM to continue and expand our church's important ministry in the Solomon Islands. READ MORE: SWIM Newsletter September 2022
Planning for the Wamberal CRC S.W.I.M. mission project for 2023 is well underway and we are now able to accept Expressions of Interest from participants who are interested in joining the project. The mission project will be undertaken in the village of Samasodu which is on the island of Santa Isabel in the Solomon Islands. The primary objectives of this S.W.I.M. project are:
Stage 1: Thursday 30 March to Tuesday 11 April 2023
Small team to travel in advance to Honiara to conduct prior logistical functions and arrange landing craft and container packing/unpacking.
Stage 2: Tuesday 11 April to Tuesday 25 April 2023
Team 1 travels over to complete building project which included the construction of two classroom blocks. This team also includes a ministry component where a youth program will be conducted and ministry training. Team numbers will be around 25 people.
Stage 3: Thursday 20 April to Thursday 4 May 2023
Team 2 travels over to continue building project. This team will be solely focussed on the building project.
Stage 4: Thursday 4 May to Tuesday 16 May 2023
Small team remains to complete building project.
"If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you...." Matthew 17:20
For full information: SWIM Mission Opportunities 2023
Snapshot:
Q. What are we doing?
A. Building the Katova High School which is in the remote province of Isabel in the Solomon Islands. This involves the construction of around 50 buildings, a dam, kilometres of pipe for water supply, and resourcing of the school.
Q. Why are we doing it?
A. Only 20% of children get to go to High School in the Solomon Islands. The Katova High School will ensure that all children in the Katova District get the chance for a secondary education.
Q. Are we a building team or a mission team?
A. Construction of the Katova High School allows us to share the blessings and wealth that we have in Australia and New Zealand with those who do not share the same standard of living that we do. In addition, this project is a conduit for outreach. Faith is grown through team members who participate. The gospel is shared by building teams and supplementary programs were run for children, youth, ladies and men. Once the school commences in 2024 we will have Christian youth workers residing in the boarding school and working to harvest a rich return on their sharing of the gospel.
This project started in 2015 and is led by Wamberal Christian Reformed Church in Australia. Over 350 Australians have participated in over 20 trips.
We have not been able to travel to the Katova district since 2019. In our absence, we have empowered and supported the local Katova committee to progress the construction of the High School. The local committee has secured funding from the Japanese government and completed two boarding houses. Funding has also been pledged by the Australian, New Zealand and Chinese government for the Dining Hall, Ablutions, Admin Block and staff housing. The SWIM teams will complete construction of the classrooms and the water supply project. We have ten complete buildings on site and are well on the way to commencing grades 7, 8 and 9 in 2024.
God has blessed us immensely. This land was dense jungle in 2015 and now a High School is being raised out of the ground. Matthew 17: 20 says that if you have the faith of a mustard seed you can move a mountain. The Katova Project is testimony to this faith journey. We literally have moved mountains and built a High School.
This photo shows Ralph and Jack heading to Samasodu where they are right now. They are doing some checks on the school site and on the tools and equipment we left there 3 years ago. This is in preparation for our upcoming trip in April 2023.
As we continue to plan for the April project, we are seeking assistance with the following items:
Bibles – We plan to bring 1,000 bibles with us in our containers for the ladies, youth and children’s programs we are running. A preliminary email in relation to this request was sent out a few weeks ago and the response has been amazing!
School Furniture – The classrooms we are building need to be furnished. We have looked at some second hand items and most are not appropriate to be re-homed in the Solomon Islands. As a result we are looking at purchasing new furniture. The cost to furnish four classrooms is $20,000.
Transport and logistics – We are sending two shipping containers over to the Solomon Islands from Wamberal in NSW. This costs just short of $30,000. We need to send over tools, materials and many team resources.
Building materials – We have a Lucas Mill on site that we purchased some years ago.
We mill our timber requirements on site with the assistance of a local milling team that we have trained to operate the Portable Timber Mill. However, using milled hardwood for floors and to clad a building takes time. Significant time savings are gained by using yellow tongue flooring and weathertex cladding. We are also sending over roof sheeting in our containers. Cost to purchase these items is around $40,000.
Sponsoring a team participant – Each participant who comes from Australia has to pay at least $2250 each to join the team. This covers airfares, food, accommodation and transport. Not every participant can afford this. In particular, some of our younger team members. There are opportunities to sponsor a team member.
The Katova High School Project has ATO endorsement and donations are tax deductable. If individuals or churches are able to provide financial support for any of the above expenses it would be greatly appreciated. If you can assist then please contact the project coordinator, Rod Peet on 0412 058 848 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
You can find out more about our current and previous trips by visiting our Facebook Page via this link Katova High School Project - Samasodu Village - Solomon Islands | Facebook
If you are interested in joining our April team then please send an email to request further information. At this stage we have 29 participants confirmed. We still would like to see a few more qualified builders, teachers, musicians and trades people join the team.
Keep praying for us and our Solomon Island friends.
Regards, Rod Peet (Solomon Islands Work Group [SWIM] Chairperson)