Passa Hei School, Atabae

Passa-Hei is a school of 200 children in the mountains outside Gleno, a small town 1.5 hours’ drive from Dili.  The school had two 3 classroom buildings, one of which was a dark, windowless corrugated iron shed with dirt floors.   Dr Gerard McGushin, a doctor from Hobart, Tasmania paid the US$70,000 (A$100,000) cost of a new building with 3 classrooms and a teachers’ room, a school kitchen and 5 toilets with handwashing facilities. We loved having Gerry with us to officially open the new buildings in September 2026. Rotary Donations in Kind sent us furniture for all of the new classrooms and filled backpacks for all of the children.