St Vincent’s College Natovi - 2017

The Story of the School

Established 115 years ago in the Marist tradition, St Vincent College caters to 450 students including boarders. The students are aged between 5 and 18 years old. Many of the students’ families live either on the outer islands or the interior highlands, and most struggle to pay the school fees, which total less than $500 per year.

Where do the children come from?

The children come from all over the Fijian Islands, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Most of which cannot afford to attend other schools or come from troubled families. Many of the boarders are left at the school over the holidays as the parents cannot cope with collecting them to take them home for the holidays.

What is the current condition of the school?

The school is lacking in the most basic furniture and learning staples, here are some areas of need:

Chairs are needed for the classrooms.
The library is lacking shelving and books are greatly needed.
The wifi is extremely slow as it must be shared currently by admin, teachers and students—a separate wifi is needed for each of the three groups.
There are two box (tube) style TV’s in the entire school for children to use for educational and enjoyment purposes.

Access to food

Scarce and extremely simple.

A typical breakfast includes, tea and two biscuits, lunch Rice and Dahl (peas)
Vegetables are a rarity and a chicken broth is prepared only on special occasions. (15 chickens per 450 children).
The general diet of the children lacks nutrients as there isn’t enough variety in the meals

Do the children receive religious teaching?

The children receive religious connection at the school through Father Joe. He attends the school as a priest & counsellor to the students. He is an all-rounder that spends time talking to the staff and students and assisting them however best he can.