Who would have thought that one could one day access the internet in the comfort of custom built leaf huts overlooking the beautiful Marovo lagoon.

The rural connectivity programme, spearheaded by the People First Network and supported by the European Union and Japan, has been able to do just that. The Rural Training Centre and community of Batuna village, Marovo Lagoon, have been connected to the Internet and the World Wide Web.

A 25 kilometres wireless link between Batuna and Bekabeka Distance Learning Centre, which has a broadband connection via a satellite, enabled villagers to have high speed internet access.

The link has been established to extend the educational use of the Internet including the provision of distance learning, in line with the Ministry of Educations programmes financed by the European Union.

The technology will enable the vocational training sector to connect to sources of technical advice, educational resources and to enable collaboration between learners and teachers.