A team of 17 Australians has spent 10 days sprucing up the Kukudu Rural Health Clinic in Solomon Islands, painting it inside and out and building a roof over an outdoor walkway to the maternity ward.
The volunteer team was drawn mostly from Hillview Adventist Church in NSW, which sponsored the project. Supporting ministry Sonship, under the leadership of Trevor and Helen Oliver, provided coordination.
The mission trip is the latest expression of a 10-year relationship between Hillview and Kukudu—a connection that inspired the South Pacific Division (SPD) to launch the Adopt-a-Clinic program that now sees local churches in Australia and New Zealand sponsoring 42 rural and remote clinics in the Pacific islands. “The results and the impact of Adopt-a-Clinic is enormous—it’s amazing,” said Dr Chester Kuma, associate director of Adventist Health for SPD and a Solomon Islander. “Churches go there with their teams—they come back different people. But then on the ground, there’s a huge impact in the life of the community.”
The Hillview team left some artistic touches behind in Kukudu, painting two murals of natural scenes on the clinic’s internal walls. They also spent time visiting nearby communities, conducting kids’ clubs complete with songs, puppets, craft and games. Despite the language barrier team members connected quickly with the children. “Making so many new friends with the Solomon Islander kids and then having to leave and say goodbye—that was probably the biggest struggle,” said team member Josephine McElroy.
