No more tents or temporary classrooms for students of a school in Ra.

232 students of Vunikavikaloa Arya School in Nalawa were all smiles today as they will now be able to study again in a proper learning environment after the rebuilding of their school.

This school was badly damaged during Tropical Cyclone Winston where eight classrooms and four teacher’s quarters were destroyed.

Designed using the international recognised Comprehensive Safe School Framework and a holistic disaster risk reduction approach, the newly built school will be stronger and safer for students.

Construction started in January with community volunteers working alongside builders from New Zealand and from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport gaining skills they are now able to use to repair other damaged schools.

The tent where the students used to study before.

The Fiji Red Cross Society and The New Zealand Red Cross partnered to rebuild the school under the Fijian government’s Adopt a School initiative.

The tent where the students used to study before.

The total cost of the rebuilding of the school is half a million dollars donated by the New Zealand Red Cross.

While reopening Vunikavikaloa Arya School in Nalawa, Ra today, President of Fiji and patron of the Fiji Red Cross Jioji Konrote says the Fiji Red Cross decided to adopt the school after Cyclone Winston cause severe damage to the classrooms and quarters.

President of Fiji and patron of the Fiji Red Cross Jioji Konrote opens the school.

President Konrote says Fiji is truly thankful for the support of the different players who assisted in the rebuilding of the school.

The students of Vunikavikaloa Arya School.