I am Anna and I live
in the capital city of Fiji, Suva. I have seen a lot of Australians
here as they come as tourists and it is a big part of our income
as a country. My mum is the family wage earner and she cleans
part time in a hotel here. I had to leave school last year as
I turned 14. This happens to over half of the kids in Fiji as
we don’t have many schools and it is government policy.
I am lucky that I was accepted into the Champagnat Institute
run by the Marists.
This is what the Brothers
call “a second chance education centre” for 122
kids as many of us did not have a good school experience and
struggle with Maths and the two languages we use - Fijian and
English. The program gives us a chance to catch up on these
subjects with interesting units and I really enjoy being in
the computer room.
Another part of the
program here that I enjoy is the practical programs. I am learning
gardening and we are learning to market our produce such as
vegetables, plant seedlings and eggs. I also enjoy tailoring
and sewing and I think I will look for work in this area when
I finish my three years here but I am worried as there are not
many jobs in the factories for those of us who are young. These
factories make many of the school uniforms for Australia as
the wages are much lower than Australia.
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