Community Project
Why help?
You can visit a village, a thousand miles from the capital of Vanuatu, where the friendly welcome completely overwhelms you, you will discover that pencils are broken into three, in order to give each student something to write with; exercise books are broken apart and handed out one page at a time and teachers operate with little or no resources at all. Your heart goes out to these people.
Vanuatu, named the Happiest Country on Earth in 2007, has no free education system. Up to 26% of the kids never go to school at all. Only 16.8% manage to go to high school, because of lack of funds.
Rick Visited Moto Lava
Rick had the privilege of visiting an outer island village on Moto Lava in the far north of the tropical island archipelago of Vanuatu. (83 islands, reaching across 1000ks make up this tropical island nation - with around 153 different languagues and very diverse culture on each island).
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All supplies come in by a very irregular boat or the weekly plane. Freight costs make goods very expensive for a people who have very little income. You can come and meet these beautiful people. |
After flying over glorious coral atolls and deep green blue ocean, the tiny plane lands on a grass strip in what feels like the middle of nowhere.
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There is only one truck on the island. If it has broken down there is a 25k walk to the village - ONE WAY. Just make sure you pack good walking shoes. You may need them. |
The welcome in the village was totally overwhelming, as the villagers open up their hearts to the visitor.
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The youngest ones were shy at first, but they soon overcame this and chatted away in Bislama as if Rick should have understood every word they said (as only kids can do).
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The food is simple and a cup of coffee a rarity. These people share everything they have with an open heart.
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This head teacher wept when a pair of store bought spectacles were handed to him. He could see once more to read the books. Even the smallest contribution can make a huge difference.
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The school supplies Rick took in were more valuable than gold to these teachers.
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The students were soon hard at work, writing a thank you letter on their one piece of paper. |
It has been our privilege to give 10%+ from the proceeds of Seachange Lodge to these people, right from the start. Sewing machines, hand tools and essential items such as medical supplies and school items have been sent. Blackboard paint is an absolute must for these teachers, along with boxes of chalk.
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The village had absolutely nothing in their first aid clinic. Nothing to wash the new born babies in, no mattress for the expectant mother to lie on, no disinfectant. The local hospital donated some simple supplies, such as headache tablets, bandages and such like. |
Help us by making a donation right now.
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Just like any other kids anywhere in the world, they have dreams of becoming doctors, nurses, teachers and flying a plane. In this Lesser Developed Country, Vanuatu - You can help make a real difference. |
YouMe Support Foundation, formed in 2007, helps these communities to educate the next generation.
These kids' dreams will never be realized without YOUR help.
Wendy is also the author of Tropic Post and Geekoterre.com