FALLING in love with a community thousands of kilometres away across the Coral Sea has decided the future of high school student Jenali Collier. She wants to continue her mission work with under-privileged communities in Vanuatu, once she completes her high school certificate at Calvary Christian College this year.
Jenali, 16, from Mount Cotton, took part in a Vanuatu mission trip in 2006 organised by her father, who is the chaplain of Cleveland District State High School. Since then, she has flown to Vanuatu once every two years with the school. She is among nine other high school students from the Redlands who were given a share in $500,000 of RSL youth grants. The RSL Youth Development Program was created to offer students a chance to gain financial assistance to achieve their goals.
Jenali said there was nothing she loved doing more than giving up her time to help others. "We go into the schools and dress up as clowns and play with the kids. We entertain them with puppets, singing and ball games. We also give them stationery and books to use in their classrooms," Jenali said. "The young primary school kids are always smiling and they tell us they think what we are doing for them is great."
This year, Jenali will work with 'Friends of Pango' for 10 days to set up small libraries in villages across the island. "This will be my third trip and it really makes you feel thankful for what you have back in Australia," she said. "They are taught to read and write and basic maths in simple classrooms, with blackboards and the children in rural villages are taught in tee-pee huts. "In previous years we have painted their structures," Jenali said. |