Solor is a volcanic island, one of the Small Sunda Islands in Indonesia, located on the eastern tip of the island Flores. On the island lives a small community who for hundreds of years has been engaged in whaling. There are no less than five volcanoes on this island of only 6 to 40 km. Portuguese priests founded in 1561 a mission on Solor, which soon became the main location for the Portuguese in the Small Sunda Islands. The Dutch took the island in 1613, but Solor was only abandoned by the Portuguese in 1859, in exchange for better border control with East Timor.

The island is difficult accessible and the development is far behind the main island Flores. The total population of the island is approximately 30,000, spread over twenty villages. The backlog is clearly visible in education; there is a limited number of primary and even fewer secondary (technical) schools. Education is therefore complemented by private initiatives, mainly from Catholic Church organizations.

Napo Bala Nawa is such an organization that provides education for the children of Menanga where the government cannot (yet) provide education services. Napo Bala Nawa, was founded in February 2010, and started a small school of four classrooms with 20 pupils, slowly growing to 40 pupils. The facilities in which it provides education are very, very basic.

Napo Bala Nawa receives annually from the Local Government a subsidy (€ 2,800), to pay the teachers and to purchase teaching materials. For the construction and maintenance of classrooms and the provision of school furniture, Napo Bala Nawa is depending on donations.

Napo Bala Nawa, asked the Van Doorn Foundation for financial assistance to improve the circumstances under which education is provided. Because of the limited communication and lousy internet access for an organization like Napo Bala Nawa it is extremely difficult for them to contact organizations that could provide financial help.

The Van Doorn Foundation gives priority in supporting vocational education, but the conditions on Solor island are so worrisome and the efforts of Napo Bala Nawa so admirable that Van Doorn Foundation wants to make an exception and support Napo Bala Nawa with the most important measures.

Through among others a fundraising during Christmas 2015 we managed to provide Napo Bala Nawa in early 2016 financial support for:

• refurbishing the school (€ 2,500);
• purchasing of school furniture (€ 1,100); and
• improving water and electricity supply (€ 600)

In total, an amount of € 4,200.

And the school is getting beautiful! During spring 2016, the old school (from bamboo and straw) has been dismantled and new walls of cement block erected, windows and doors installed.
Its isolated location makes it difficult for the local organization (Napo Bala Nawa) to get skilled labour to the construction site but eventually they managed! During the summer 2016 a new roof has been placed and materials procured for connections to water and electricity and school desks and teaching materials been purchased!

All works have been completed in July and August 2016. The isolated location of the school made the costs somewhat higher than was previously estimated, so finishing the school (plaster) with the available funds was not possible. Towards the end of 2016 the school was provided with water and electricity supply and school furniture purchased and delivered.

Project successful: the children of Solor resumed education after the summer break in their new school!