John Hermann has taken time away from BTW Company to volunteer for VSA as a survey trainer in the Republic of Kiribati.
He and his wife Frances are located in the village of Antenon, South Tarawa Atoll and work in Bairiki.
John’s role involves the training of new survey technicians and enhancing the knowledge of senior staff. The equipment is relatively current but procedures need to be revamped and software needs to be evaluated.
Frances assists at a local primary school teaching English.
Kiribati’s dense population challenges the legal rights to land and how it is defined. Land disputes are common and surveyors must follow a high court based property boundary definition approach.
Kiribati is a country with a large population of people and mosquitoes. High temperatures and lack of clean beaches ensure that the taste of clean water is relished. The people and customs are friendly and the students are quick to learn, so John looks forward to fruitful months assisting the local surveyors.
