The Marist Champagnat Institute (MCI) in Suva, established in 2000 by the Marist Brothers, has always been a place of hope and opportunity for students who face learning and/or physical disabilities in their educational journey. Over the years, the school has welcomed hundreds of students, providing them not just with academic knowledge but also with life and practical skills that will help them build a brighter future.
This year, four sisters - Rosa Marie, Filomena Ake, Luisa Ake, and Elisabeta Divavanua - joined the MCI family. Aged between 14 and 20, these young women had never attended school before. They grew up on a remote outer island in the northern part of Fiji, where their family lived a simple life centred around farming and household work.
The girls learned valuable life skills - cooking, farming, fishing, and working alongside their parents in all the ways necessary to sustain the family. As their older siblings married and their children began attending school, the girls found themselves longing for an education of their own. With only a Bible at home and their mother doing her best to teach them, the girls knew that an education was the key to a better future.
When their aunty from Suva visited, she asked if they would like to go to school. After much discussion, the family agreed to let them pursue an education. The girls, with their mother, travelled by boat for 18 hours to reach Suva, believing that learning would not only change their lives but also help them support their family in the future.
In January 2024, after undergoing an education assessment at MCI, the girls were accepted into the school. Although they were nervous, they were also excited to begin their educational journey. They initially stayed with their aunty on the outskirts of Suva and would wake up at 4am each day to catch two buses to reach MCI by 8 am.
The changes in these young women have been remarkable. Rosa is grateful for the improvement in her reading and is excited to learn Math, a subject she had never encountered before. Filomena (Filo) is thrilled to see her English and Math skills improving, and she loves the family spirit at MCI. Elisabeta has developed a passion for Woodwork, where she’s learning to make a pot plant stand. Luisa, who loves English, has also embraced AFL, training three times a week at Albert Park with other MCI students. She dreams of representing Fiji in the sport next year.
Their mother, Kusitina, is deeply grateful to the Marist Brothers, the MCI staff, and generous benefactors, including the Australian Marist Solidarity family, for supporting her daughters. She has witnessed incredible changes in her daughters since they started their education—they are more confident, articulate, and have made new friends. They are developing social skills and learning practical vocational lessons that will help them in life.
Kusitina knows that her daughters are truly blessed to be part of the MCI family, and she is filled with hope for their future. With education, love, and support, the girls are preparing for a brighter tomorrow, one step at a time.
Let us continue to support MCI’s mission of transforming lives through education, providing hope and opportunity to those who need it most.
This festive season, we kindly ask you to donate to AMSÂ so that students like these four sisters, can have a second chance at an education: AMS Christmas Appeal 2024.
Written by Milika Nation, Communications & Engagement Coordinator, AMS and Kathy Foi (Marist Champagnat Institute)
Pic courtesy: Kathy Foi
Australian Marist Solidarity is the international agency for the aid and development work of the Marist family in Australia throughout Asia and the Pacific Islands.
AMS works with the people in this region on a combination of long-term and short-term development projects. These projects aim to develop or support locally sustained education opportunities for the young people in these regions. AMS works to bring education and hope to young people living in Asia and the Pacific so that they can build a brighter future.
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