No “Vanuatu Time” for me (part 2)

Back to Efate

Another early morning flight, back to Port Vila. I had been helping a Nelson school investigate the possibility of  trip to Vanuatu in 2016, so headed north to check out a school who the Nelson College could connect with. Along the roadside, there was evidence of fresh bush fires. Growth post Cyclone Pam was evident, but not the lush growth you normally expect.  A surprise to me was seeing a solar panel farm in North Efate which will provide electricity for the first time, to parts of north Efate.

While in the north, I collected some more sea-tumbled World War 2 Coca Cola glass at one of the stunning beaches, for one of the micro enterprise projects in Port Vila.

Two days were set aside for the Sanitary Systems Project.

Restocking School Libraries after Cyclone Pam losses

I received an invite by Pauline Grindley, who adapted the custom stories to create the series of Nabanga Pikinini, to accompany her and a team from the National Library to distribute hundreds of books that had been donated by a New Zealand publishing house – to restock schools in North Efate.   This time I was on the back of a truck with the library staff.   In addition to those books, World Vision had funded the reprint of 4,000 copies of Nabanga Pikinini.

We were all treated to the most fabulous aelen kakae I have ever eaten.  Cooked over hot stones, organic and delicious, and of course my favourite – fresh, sweet and refreshing coconut water.

Vanuatu Institute of Teacher Education (VITE)

Pauline had also invited me to present scholarships at the Teachers Training College, as representative of the kiwis who had made donations to a scholarship fund post Cyclone Pam.   Teachers in training are often funded by family members back in their home villages, from the sale of produce.   Cyclone Pam meant that there were no crops, therefore no income for those families, therefore little chance of meeting fees for the student teachers.   It was a pleasure to witness the enthusiasm of the teachers in training and the impact that the scholarships make to them.

Planning ahead

Johnas had indicated to me that he wanted to build a better toilet. The current one for his family is a hole in the ground. I had tried to source some plans of a ventilated toilet system, but hadn’t had much luck in New Zealand, but I had heard of a group in Port Vila that were showing locals how to make these toilets. And so I met Roger from YWAM – he was a wealth of knowledge, constructing Vanuatu appropriate water tanks and toilets – so another very useful connection for future reference.

Whew!   It was a busy time, but as always, very rewarding.

All this is possible because of you, the customers that buy the Lav Kokonas products.

A minimum of 10% of our profits are returned into projects that make a difference in the lives of ni Vanuatu. Never lose sight of the contribution that you make.

For that, I thank you.

Mi lukim yu.

Belinda