Soggy days ruin life
Daily life hassled by rain
It seems to have rained for days and days. The vegetable garden is soggy. There isn't enough sun to hasten the growth. This is out of character. The islands in the northern archipelago of Vanuatu are known for sunshine and for the wet season, but the wet is just going on forever this year.
In our villagethe ready supply of water is never an issue. Every few days it rains. No wonder the steep volcanic hills surrounding the village are covered with tropical vegetation. Plants can be seen to grow overnight. Too much rain though and our village runs the risk of disease. Diseases transferred through the water that lays in puddles on all the bush tracks, in all the gardens and across the village.
Our land is cultivated to helpfor the needs of the village at any one time in the year. There is no point in making a surplus as the food will go mouldy. With no market nearby, no one buys a surplus. There is no trade. There is no money for medicines. The village lives as a cashless society, in the tradition of families for generations.
But time is catching up with the villagers. Thechildren go to school in the clearing at the bottom of the village. School is to grade 6. The kids are learning to read and write. Parents and grandparents cannot do this.
For years these kids struggle to learn with few resources. The government provides little support. Pencils are broken into three. Exercise books are torn apart to provide writing paper. Kids share the one book to read. By the age of 13 these kids have hit a barrier. There is no high educationon the island.
To cross the seasto high school requires money. Fees need to be paid, books purchased, accommodation found. With nothing to sell, the parents have no money. Everything in the village is used by the village.
YouMe Support Foundation ishelping non-repayable educational grants to send these kids to high school. In late 2007 the government admitted it did not have the funds to support education in the outer islands. The villages belatedly received food supplies after the January cyclone, but there was no paper to replace that destroyed when strong winds and drenching rain blew in the school windows. In April the schools next boxes of learning supplies, put together by charities like YouMe Support Foundation, arrived via the outer island shipping services. The kids waited eagerly to see what was in these boxes.
Working in conjunction with winaresort.com, YouMe Support Foundation is offering Seachange Lodge, Port Vila, Vanuatu as a world first Internet raffle. Seachange Lodge, a boutique resort with a private family holiday home and 6 holiday apartments, will become someone’s property – a place to relax in the South Pacific, to share with family and friends, to use as a superannuation investment or to put on the market. The raffle will provide YouMe Support Foundation with funds to further its work with the uneducated youth of the northern,islands of Vanuatu.
About the Author
Dr Wendy and her husband Rick are the Founders of YouMe Support Foundation, charity . Over the past four years they and their guests from Seachange Lodgehave provided desperately needed teacher's resources and school supplies to isolated communities in the far north of Vanuatu. YouMe Support Foundation in partner ship with Win a Resort</a> is raffling Seachange Lodge on the Internet. All funds are placed into a Trust Fund to provide education for children who will never go to high school without outside assistance. Your donation can make a difference in the lives of these children. Their education can make a difference in the life of the village. To make your donation go to Win a Resort
Tell others about
this page:
Comments? Questions? Email Here