LIGHTS ON THE FOOTPATH, NEW POSSIBILITIES FOR A SCHOOL

AT VERABOLI Christian Academy, new solar lights are bringing added visibility to the path connecting the community to the school – with teachers looking ahead to safer surroundings and brighter evenings for their students.

GUADALCANAL PROVINCE, Solomon Islands – FOR the teachers of Veraboli Christian Academy, the new solar lights illuminating the footpath near their school mean more than a brighter walkway. They offer added visibility around school grounds, greater convenience for evening activities and renewed possibilities for the students they teach.

The school, which provides early childhood, primary and secondary education, sits close to the surrounding village, making the footpath an important connection between the community and the school.

Now, with three solar LED streetlights installed at Veraboli under the CAUSE II Project's community lighting sub-project, teachers are looking forward to how the improved lighting can support their school activities and help protect school property after dark.

Densia Solomae, a teacher at the academy, said the installation builds on earlier community infrastructure supported by CAUSE, including a footpath constructed in 2020.

Six years later, the new lighting adds another layer of improvement to the area, with the school among those set to benefit directly.

“During the nighttime, our school is not fully fenced, thus, for safety purposes for school properties such as our classrooms, this development will help us a lot,” Solomae said.

She explained that better visibility around the school could help staff identify people entering the premises at night, while making the footpath more accessible when the school hosts evening programmes.

For Felista Mula, who teaches Grade Two to a class of 21 students, the benefits also extend to the children's learning experiences beyond regular classroom hours.

She said the lights would help brighten the school surroundings during evening activities and other programmes organised for students.

“It will benefit our students' learning as well,” Mula said, noting that the lighting would support activities and programmes held in the evenings.

While the new lights serve the wider community, their value is especially meaningful for a school that brings together learners at different stages of their education.

For its teachers, improved lighting is a practical addition that can help create a more visible and accessible environment for school activities after dark — supporting the work of educating children and strengthening the connection between the school and its community.

Implemented by the Solomon Islands Government, the CAUSE II Project is supported by the World Bank and the Australian Government through the PNG and Pacific Islands Umbrella Facility Multi-Donor Trust Fund.

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