The original computer lab was a small custom house that could not hold more than eight or ten students and was not strong enough to protect computer equipment from severe weather.

The new building will be large enough for an entire class and is designed to be weather-proof. Sanlang School was very fortunate to be awarded a Small Project Assistance (SPA) grant which covered the cost of construction materials and some of the cost of freight. Sanlang School covered all additional shipping costs and also provided all labor required for the project. Building a permanent structure is a difficult task for a single community to undertake, so Coleman held a public awareness campaign.

Sanlang School was very fortunate to be awarded a Small Project Assistance (SPA) grant which covered the cost of construction materials and some of the cost of freight. Sanlang School covered all additional shipping costs and also provided all labor required for the project. Building a permanent structure is a difficult task for a single community to undertake, so Coleman held a public awareness campaign. He travelled to each village in West Vanua Lava and asked them to commit to supporting the school in its new project. Every single community agreed.

The communities took turns supplying fresh workers for labor-intensive tasks like burying the foundations and pouring the slab. The school also hired a local builder with years of construction experience to complete the walls and the roof of the building. Naturally there were delays. Bad weather aggravated already existing transportation issues. Heavy storms destroyed the food crops of one community, and they were forced to withdraw their initial support in order to do critical repairs at home. Even with these difficulties the project progressed swiftly and is on track to be completed well within the schedule set by USAID.

There is still plenty left to do before the final paperwork on this project is submitted, but the communities of West Vanua Lava are still working hard. Community members are excited as the construction project wraps up and Sanlang School moves to the next stage in its development: securing a solar system to supply power to their brand new computer classroom.