Plantar fasciitis – Acupuncture – Vanuatu

How do those 3 things go together?

I had suffered the pain of Plantar Fasciitis for about 6 months and decided I must DO something to get some relief from the pain.  A friend recommended Acupuncture Richmond.  It was then that I met Paddy, although I realised, she had been a customer of Lav Kokonas for some time.   We talked (as you do), about all sorts, including what Lav Kokonas was all about and what “paying it forward in Vanuatu” meant to me.

So, it seems fitting to be writing about Paddy in this week, which celebrates Acupuncture Awareness Week – 16th to 22 November.   Why you might ask?

Paddy from Acupuncture Richmond has gifted me a return airfare to Vanuatu.   She kindly made the offer quite some time ago, but I firmly believed I wouldn’t need to accept her offer. However, after returning from Vanuatu in mid October at the conclusion of the Sanitary Systems workshops, I knew that I had to return as soon as was practical.   The energy around that project was tangible and although I knew I could guide the project from New Zealand, sometimes you just need to be there.      So I will be.

Lav Kokonas is a small business, which I run as economically as I can.   As you will know, I commit  10% of the profits back into projects in Vanuatu, but in actual fact, the return ends up being a lot more than 10%. Lav Kokonas simply could not fund another trip in 2015.

I checked in with Paddy when I returned to New Zealand and she said the offer was still there.

So off I go, focusing on

• quality control,
• financial literacy,
• marketing the kits and
• working out which is the most appropriate way to sell the kits.

There has been some interest within the Vanuatu media, so I am hoping that those opportunities eventuate to move forward the project and give many women of all ages,  the chance to manage their monthly period in a more comfortable and hygenic way.

I cannot express in words my gratitude to this kindness.  Paddy wouldn’t be singing from the mountain tops of her gift, but with her permission, she said I can share the story.   It just goes to show, that on our own, we can only do so much, but with support and the generosity of others, a great deal can be achieved.   I believe this is all about women empowering women and that is clearly, something that both Paddy and I have in common.

Tank yu tumas Paddy.

Mi lukim yu

Belinda