Sanaroa Island

This article does not cite any sources. Please help by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources:  –  ·  ·  · scholar · JSTOR (December 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Sanaroa Island is an island, part of D'Entrecasteaux Islands in Papua New Guinea, located east of Fergusson Island in Milne Bay Province, at

9°37′00″S 151°00′00″E / 9.6166667°S 151°E / -9.6166667; 151. The population of Sanaroa is less than 2000.

Education[]

Sanaroa has one primary school run by the Catholic Church. Students come from all over Sanaroa, some walking or canoeing 5 km to school. Many of the students have rarely or never left the island, and have little exposure to urban life. The island's two main religions are the United Church and Catholic Church. In 2007 a Christian Mission Fellowship church was established. Today many students have formally done grade 8 and many have continued to High Schools. However the biggest problem that the students face is school fees and unfortunately for many have withdrawn from school. Despite the problems a few others have been assisted and supported by their parents and relatives have ventured to find jobs in towns and are working. Education is recently seen as important to raise the standard of living and bringing changes to the villages and families.

Council areas[]

Sanaroa's three council areas are Etana, Siawawa and Udaudana.

Language[]

Sanaroa has a language that has faded or disappeared. The local people call it the K language because the 'k' sound was used frequently. Today there no persons speaking the language.

Life style[]

The local people live a subsistence-farming life style. The people on the island go fishing and do gardening to feed themselves. The staple foods are yams, sago, fish and bananas. They use canoes, dinghies and other sea-going vessels as transport. There are no trucks, cars, mains power or airports on the island.

Natural events[]

Sanaroa island is experiencing erosion due to wave action, and some smaller islands appear to be sinking slowly.