The Rua School is becoming a model for what can be achieved by aid organizations working together to improve desperate situations.

Six years ago the two classroom buildings at this school were devastated by a windstorm that blew the rotted roofs off, leaving only three out of eight classrooms barely usable.

Because the school could not accommodate more than 80 students, parents that could afford to moved their children to other schools further from their villages. The government did not have the resources to repair the school and many children were unable to be educated.

Now one of the school buildings has been completely renovated with the assistance of the Dutch government. The Sumba Foundation further improved the learning environment by drilling a well for the school early in 2004. Prior to this the children needed to collect dirty water from a nearby creek to drink, understandably diarrhea was rampant in this school.

We also provided the school with 60 tables and benches, blackboards, educational wall posters, painted wall murals and at the start of each semester we have been distributing school supplies to all of the students.

Due to these improvements enrollment has doubled to 163 students in 2004. However it is still operating at only 60% of its capacity because there is no roof cover on half of the second building, leaving three classrooms unusable.

Amazingly the floors and walls of this building are still in fairly good condition and all it will take to bring this school to 100% of its operational capacity is a new roof, minor wall repairs and another 60 tables and benches to accommodate the increased enrollment resulting from the availability of the three new classrooms.

Completing this work will mean a lot to the community as the children of the area will no longer have to walk the extra miles to another school each day and many more children will be able to be educated.

Our priority now is to build a new roof on the building as soon as possible so that it is safe and the three classrooms can be used.

We are seeking private funding to renovate the classroom building at this school. We have broken down the major portions of the work as follows:

• $3,200.00: to replace all of the windows and door frames of the building.

• $2,700.00: for 60 new tables and benches for this school. ($45.00 each set)

• $8,500.00 to build a complete new roof with ceilings. There is no roof on the existing building.

All donors will receive quarterly updates on the progress of the project, and as a show of appreciation a brass plaque with the donors name will be mounted to the wall of the school.

Donations can be made by check directly to The Sumba Foundation, or by Credit Card through the Network For Good website.