(8am) Everyone has been up since 3:30am when the community bell rang (very loudly) to announce today we’d celebrate (and get up mamas and start cooking!). Today is the official opening of a lot of stuff:
- Tongariki Public Road
- Water Project (water pumps were placed down by the water – but in reality it takes a while to reach the pumps and needs 2 men to pump it)
- Renovated Classrooms
- Solar System (for the school and dispensary)
- Football field (I mean soccer for those Americans reading this)
- Kindergarten House
- Fisherman’s Center (which doesn’t function - a business man organized all the small islands around to catch fish and store them in the center’s freezer until a big ship comes around to pay for the fish and then sell them in Vila – good idea but never came true as we don’t have a freezer and there is no ship)
- And the Official handing over of the Tongariki Community Truck!!! (the island hasn’t had a truck for almost 30 years the last one was given during “colonial time” or when the British and French were in charge)
Most of these projects have long been completed but no government officials have come to witness its opening so today 30 delegates should arrive any minute to take part in the celebration of the island’s many blessings. The truck is currently outside my hut blaring string band music (Vanuatu style island music) and the kids are hooting, yelling and dancing. Some of the kids (and adults) have never even seen a truck in real life only in movies so its quite a novelty. I’m so glad that they have a truck to aid in development of the island because before everything had to be carried up the hill on their backs – cement bricks, tin roofing, water tanks, supplies – and so you can understand how projects could take such a long time to finish. The projects are from an assortment of donators such as AusAID, SOPAC, Vanuatu government and the truck is a gift from the Green Federation Political Party.
- Tongariki Public Road
- Water Project (water pumps were placed down by the water – but in reality it takes a while to reach the pumps and needs 2 men to pump it)
- Renovated Classrooms
- Solar System (for the school and dispensary)
- Football field (I mean soccer for those Americans reading this)
- Kindergarten House
- Fisherman’s Center (which doesn’t function - a business man organized all the small islands around to catch fish and store them in the center’s freezer until a big ship comes around to pay for the fish and then sell them in Vila – good idea but never came true as we don’t have a freezer and there is no ship)
- And the Official handing over of the Tongariki Community Truck!!! (the island hasn’t had a truck for almost 30 years the last one was given during “colonial time” or when the British and French were in charge)
Most of these projects have long been completed but no government officials have come to witness its opening so today 30 delegates should arrive any minute to take part in the celebration of the island’s many blessings. The truck is currently outside my hut blaring string band music (Vanuatu style island music) and the kids are hooting, yelling and dancing. Some of the kids (and adults) have never even seen a truck in real life only in movies so its quite a novelty. I’m so glad that they have a truck to aid in development of the island because before everything had to be carried up the hill on their backs – cement bricks, tin roofing, water tanks, supplies – and so you can understand how projects could take such a long time to finish. The projects are from an assortment of donators such as AusAID, SOPAC, Vanuatu government and the truck is a gift from the Green Federation Political Party.
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