Kiwi company House of Travel is helping to connect Samoa to the modern world by donating computer equipment and skilled labour to a college in Apia.

House of Travel Holdings donated 85 second-hand computers, monitors and servers, plus a week of IT technician Adrian Millers time to Chanel College, a struggling Catholic school which now has the capacity to get its students online.

For Adrian, who had never travelled to the Pacific Islands before, it proved to be a life-changing experience.

"It felt amazing to do something selfless, altruistic, knowing that I was part of something that was beneficial to so many people. Im sincerely grateful for that experience. Ive always wanted to do something like that and my company gave me that opportunity."

Formerly Christchurch-based but now in Wellington, Adrian jumped at the opportunity when his employer sought volunteers for the work, part of a larger, ongoing project being led by Kiwi John Ryan. He and his wife are former volunteer teachers at the school.

Adrian and John had just five days to set in place the infrastructure to enable the college to get connected and Adrian has been following up with school staff in Samoa since his return to New Zealand to test the system and guide teachers there to getting it up and running.

"When I volunteered to go to Samoa I didnt really think about how the work I would be doing would impact on the college and its staff, students and the community. It started to sink in as the work over there progressed," Adrian says.

"I realised that donating my skills and expertise were a lot more valuable than donating $20 would have been - it will make a huge difference to the people there and its great to be part of helping to upskill the Samoan people to bring them into the technical age.

"Many people there have no computer skills at all. Being able to get on the internet is basically a human right these days and has the potential to make a huge difference to the likes of students at Chanel College. It will open up many opportunities for them in the future."

The hospitality and kindness of the Samoan people made the experience all the more meaningful for Adrian who says being immersed in the local culture was a real eye-opener and something he will never forget.

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Kiwi travel firm gets Samoan College connected