What a fabulous 2015!

What a fantastic end to 2015!!!!

As we reflect on the achievements of this small, voluntary project, we are proud of what started as a small idea following Tropical Cyclone Pam has developed into something useful and wanted by the schools that we have engaged with. The trust and generosity of the initial donors has kick started a project that we hope will continue to benefit and make a difference to NiVanuatu children.

We are eternally grateful for the support from the schools, their Principals, teachers, students and parents. For the generosity of the Vanuatu Chefs Assn and their Chefs. For the amazing contribution made by Telecom Vanuatu Ltd following their highly entertaining fundraising event. And to World Vision Vanuatu for their massive generosity and who can see the long-term benefits of the project.

BIG FALA TANKIU TUMAS LO EVRIWAN.

This is what we have done!

Preparing for 2016 with generous support from World Vision Vanuatu.

World Vision Vanuatu have been extremely generous in their support of the Grin Hans Karen project. 

We were absolutely, and positively blown away with their contribution to the ongoing development of this project, and would like to say a massive TANKIU TUMAS.

To date they have contributed:

1 x 6000 ltr water tank

5 x seedling nurseries

1 x new vegetable garden (incl 10 m3 of top soil)

6 x seed starter packs (seeds and 18 x 56 ltr bags of seed raising mix and trays)

60 mtrs of garden hose pipe  

1 x double gas cook top

10 x local rubbish bins

These materials have helped to cement the project into the schools so that they can start the new year with a fresh batch of seedlings and continue a healthy food programme. We hope to develop more for the project in 2016 with World Vision Vanuatu.

Levo with a prototype of the bins
he is making for the schools.
He reuses old gas cylinders  as the bin and fixes
 them to steel arms so the dogs can't get at them. 

New seedling nursery taking shape.

The new 6000 ltr water tank installed at St Jeanne d'Arc school. Making it easier to keep the vege garden watered.

WOW! A new water tank has arrived -Tankiu tumas World Vision Vanuatu!

Excited by the arrival of a new 6000lts water tank for St Jeanne d'Arc school who have created a beautiful large vegetable garden on mildly usable ground, but watering is very difficult. Not anymore!

Thanks to World Vision Vanuatu the tank has arrived in time to be installed before the end of the school year and will make it much easier to water the vegetable seedlings in 2016.

Supporting International Chefs Day in the schools.

We were absolutely thrilled at how the International Chefs Day event took shape in the projects schools. Due to the relationship we have with the schools we were approached by Vanuatu Chefs Association to identify if there was some way that they could support the schools with an aspect of healthy food. 

After some discussion with the schools, the best option was to provide replacement stoves, and in some cases additional cook tops to the schools. We installed 4 x gas ovens and 4 x gas commercial cook tops across the 6 schools, much to the delight of the school cooks who often struggle to cook for such large numbers of students with their basic kitchen equipment - in some cases they cooking on an outdoor open fire.

One of the first ovens to be installed at
Ecole Publique Centreville.
George (L) chief cook and Joe (R) Agriculture teacher
thrilled with the new oven.

Chef Hose (L) Freshwota School chef being shown the cool
things the oven can do by Executive Chef David Holliday
of  Vanuatu Chefs Assn & Air Vanuatu Catering.

Everyone thrilled with the new oven at Freshwota School.

It was agreed to celebrate on International Chefs Day (20th October) with a "Helti Kakae" focus.

To encourage the theme we liaised with trained nutritionists from World Vision Vanuatu to share their message and explain some key healthy eating habits. The Vanuatu Chefs Association also supported the day with 2 x chefs attending each school alongside the World Vision Vanuatu nutritionist and explained about their career and the importance of eating local food and healthy food options. Much to the delight of the pupils, parents, teachers and headmasters the children were then given a delicious fresh apple for their morning refreshment.

World Vision Vanuatu head of programme, the fantastic Mrs Shirley Laben
sharing her knowledge with the students of Seaside School on Helti Kakae.

Roselyn George, Vanuatu Chefs Assn handing out apples
to the attentive students at St Jeanne d'Arc school.

St Jeanne d'Arc students preparing to munch into their healthy morning tea.

Chef Leo, WVV  Nutritionist Sharon, School Directair Jhon Marc, Chef Roselyn

Chef Chris, Chef Wass and World Vision Vanuatu give each of the students a "Helti Kakae" poster to share with their family.

Tankiu tumas ol fren. These young men did a fantastic job with the students today. So proud of you.

Many, many thanks to the super cool students and the schools for their enthusiasm, to the Vanuatu Chefs Association and the awesome Chefs for their fantastic contribution to the project, and to the engaging and smart World Vision Vanuatu staff for sharing their expertise and knowledge. It was truly a thrill to bring it all together for the kids. 

Tankiu tumas Telecom Vanuatu Ltd (TVL)!!!

Tankiu tumas, Merci Beaucoup, Thanks heaps TVL!

To: TVL and the Port Vila community, 

Your generosity has been humbly received and is greatly appreciated.

from: The Green Hands Garden Project.

(L-R)Acting CEO of TVL Balen _: Freshwota Bilingual School Principal Mr Kalo Manses: GHGP Wayne Mills. Shaking hands on receiving the very generous donation from TVL.

We were delighted to hold the cheque handing over ceremony at Freshwota Bilingual School with the support of the Principal Mr Manses.

He had been very generous in his time and access to the school and his mantra has always been about "opening our students eyes to different ideas and experiences".  He has previously mentioned that the urban children do not have a strong connection with the ground, something that was traditionally strong in Melanesian culture. We are thrilled that we can assist the school to provide that opportunity for the students through the school vegetable gardens.

The contribution from TVL will be spread across more schools, with a focus on building small seed raising nursery's so that the programme can be somewhat self sustainable.

Mr W giving an interview to the Daily Post before the handing over the cheque.

426,100 vatu = NZD$6100 / AUD$5500 / Euro 3400

...and they continue to grow, grow, grow...

More schools are showing strong interest in having vegetable gardens but we are conscious that we need to manage expectations and capacity. The schools that we are currently working with are preparing to build seed raising houses / nurseries with Vila Central School currently building their nursery full steam ahead!

See here how Freshwota Bilingual School garden has progressed:

from this unused ground....

...and with a bit of care...

....we can get this within 2 months. Vegetables being harvested  and used in the school canteen.

Many of the vegetables in the school gardens are being harvested and replenished by the school's own resources, but with recent warnings of a coming El Nino season, it is becoming apparent that the typical tropical dry season is going to be long and very dry, so we need to communicate with the schools on some strategies to maintain their gardens - this may include building compost boxes and mulch (left over chipped trees from Cyclone Pam!). Mr W has been discussing the project with an International NGO who are interested in building on the Schools Green Hands Gardens project, so this can assist with the compost bins for schools among other exciting developments in the pipeline.

Unused school ground that was once covered in scrub is now a thriving vegetable garden at Saint Jean D'Arc primary school. By supplying fencing the school garden is protected from wandering dogs and free range island roaming chickens, chicks and roosters!

St Jean D'Arc Primary school the bank that was
cleared by the parents in preparation for the garden.

The unused bank at St Jean D'Arc school turned into a fabulous garden.

The momentum continues...growing the post pam project for Vanuatu.

  We are now actively working with 6 schools with a total school enrollment of almost 6000 students!!!!

Each school garden programme develops at a different pace, but with 4 school vegetable gardens and 2 more in the planning and digging stages its is still very exciting to see how it all grows. The photo montage will show you how things have progressed...

We have also had a few very pleasant surprises recently - we were fortunate to have had some Duke of Edinburgh Award volunteers come and assist the Year 7 Agriculture Class at Freshwota School to prepare their garden patch and the first school we started working with has been growing more varieties of vegetables and developing additional school vegetable gardens.

Furthermore, we are in discussion with an INGO to develop a nutrition training programme to roll out into the schools that we are working with - that is another exciting development that we never intended when we started out on this amazing project....hope to have some pics next post.

Vila East School, from this......

...to this...
It's the same garden 2 months later!
Some of the veges have already been harvested
and used in the school canteen.
The school has replenished with new seedlings!
Awesome!

...and these fantastic little bean babies!!!!
The Vila East students made seed raising pods using toilet rolls
 that are now growing beans in the school garden.

Vila Central School Year 8 Agricultural Class getting stuck into planting out the seedlings in their garden. Its the biggest garden so far with approximately 200 seedlings and 10 packets of seeds. Their next step is to build a seed raising house which the project will fund.

One of the schools reestablishing their vegetable garden in among the remnants of their pre-cyclone garden.

Excellent assistance from the Australian Duke of Edinburgh
Award volunteers in the garden...

 ......and learning a bit more about Vanuatu.

POST SCRIPT...TVL have advised that the Ultimate Survivor event raised almost 500,000 vatu (NZD$6800/AUD$6150/Euro 4150) to be used by this project- WOW - WOW -WOW!!!