Vanuatu Visitors
Home hosting the 2 Vanuatu Optometry Students
It was my pleasure to be ale to offer some home hosting for the 2 "Nivans" for part of their stay here in Melbourne recently.
("Nivans" is the name given to the people of Vanuatu.)
Jessie and Dick were a delight to host and see the look on Dick's face when Tony introduced him to golf via the putting area here.
Dick tells us that only white people get to play golf in Vanuatu, it is far too expensive for the locals, and given that Dick lives on the Island of Tanna which is home to an active volcano and is all volcanic surface and outcrops of coral.
No hope of setting up an area as we know it to play golf. He has been sent home with a set of donated clubs for him to practice.
Dick loved the stone fruit, unknown to him previously and enjoyed the TV and my recliner chair!! Homes on Dick's island would all have earthen floors and about 80% of homes on Vanuatu would also have earthen floors - How luck are we to be born is this luxurious country?
The Health Program
This program for training people from Vanuatu came about early in 2002 when Richard Tatwin came to Melbourne for some surgery.
While here he was enrolled in the Optometry course and PP Mark Leverett was closely involved in mentoring and providing work experience with Richard who returns frequently to upgrade his skills.
Richard was also able to attend one of our District RYLA conferences which has assisted him with the development of his work in the health field of Vanuatu.
Since then several people from Vanuatu have been to Melbourne to be trained in basic optometry and some have been able to attend RYLA too. Last year they were Helen and Gibson, hosted by PP Jerome
This year Jessie Vatoko and Dick were able to be offered the trip and course at Melbourne University in the summer holidays which was funded by a charity grant set up to further the education and training of people from Vanuatu
Another interesting story!!
Jessie works for the hospital clinic based in Villa and Dick will assist in the clinics which visit the many of the islands in the Vanuatu group who have no access to medical facilities as we know them.
Since the inception of this program, clinics have been set up in basic dentistry,(2 people were here just recently and were trained in the Low tech ART program which is minimal, and then when the volunteer dentists come to the islands, they carry out the restorative work. These people of Vanuatu would otherwise not have access to such help.
Richard Tatwin is now responsible for ongoing training on the Island and coordinates clinics for Optometry, Dentistry, Diabetes, Community Health, Mental Health and has recently had a request to set up a manufacturing facility to make prosthetic limbs for diabetics with amputations -diabetes is a huge problem in the islands.
As you can see, from small beginnings of 2 very interested and dedicated people in Don and Meg McRaild from the Sale district tis project has gone from strength to strength.
Don & Meg visit the Islands frequently and coordinate this whole program, where one of Don's responsibilities is to arrange containers (thru Donations in Kind Geelong) with much needed supplies to be sent to Vanuatu.
The cost of this transport of a container is approximately $4000 and then the receivers have still to pay a heavy duty at the other end. Goods sent have to be carefully vetted to minimise costs and waste at the other end.