Betikama Adventist College Project Seeks to Improve Student Access to Nutritious Food

Photo: Adventist Record

South Pacific Division

Betikama Adventist College Project Seeks to Improve Student Access to Nutritious Food

The project began in July 2023 and seeks to increase student access to a variety of nutritious food, thereby improving their academic performance.

Education | Denver Newter/Record Staff, ANN Staff

A student well-being project at Betikama Adventist College in the Solomon Islands is making significant progress and is expected to be completed by the end of May.

ADRA's (the Adventist Development and Relief Agency) monitoring team visited the site on April 29, 2024, and observed that the project is progressing smoothly.

The project was funded by the Thrift family in Australia through ADRA Australia and is being implemented by ADRA Solomon Islands.

Supervisor Dunne Apusae at the Betikama farm.
Supervisor Dunne Apusae at the Betikama farm.

Gibson Apusae, project officer, expressed satisfaction with the project’s progress, acknowledging only minor challenges, such as delays due to elections and slow delivery of materials to the project site.

He said work to complete farming irrigation is progressing well.

“We have already installed water tanks and pipes for the farming,” he said. Sixteen blocks of the farm have been equipped with pipes, and only 12 blocks remain.

“With the installation of pipes in the remaining blocks, we will be able to utilize the storage tank to supply water to the farm.”

The Betikama Student Wellbeing Project commenced in July 2023. Its primary aim is to enhance students’ access to a variety of nutritious food, thereby improving their academic performance. Additionally, it seeks to augment teachers’ knowledge on nutritional value, food intake, and personal hygiene.

The original article was published on the South Pacific Division news site, Adventist Record.