Container of love from Picton to Vanuatu

The community of Picton is filling a container of love to send to Vanuatu. We are supporting Jimmy Putuel who lives in Picton most of the year and sends money back to his family and village in Vanuatu-his support is life changing for those back home.

Jimmy has a dream, to fill a container with essential building materials,tools,clothing etc and ship it back home. He wants to build a forever home for his family, which would also serve as a strong shelter for the people in his village so when the next cyclone or earthquake hits lives will be saved.

Jimmy Putuel is a loving partner to Lilly and father to three little boys, Kalo who is seven, Haitong is six and Terry who turned four last week.

Jimmy and Lilly’s house has been destroyed twice, most recently in April 2020 to cyclone Harold which devastated the island.

He works in Picton on a super yacht as security/ maintenance and cleaning, he is away from his family approx. 9 to 10 months of the year. He does this so he can help not only his own family, but his extended family as well. Including his parents.

The family now have a piece of land on Port Villa where they want to build a forever home.

My name is Marianne and I volunteer as manager at St. Vincent de Paul shop in Picton. Jimmy and I met when his regular Friday visits to our shop turned into a friendship.

He was looking for unwanted clothing that his partner in Vanuatu could mend, wash and sell/trade to raise money for their forever home. He told me of his dream to buy a shipping container and fill it. I talked to the committee of St. Vincent De Paul they agreed to buy a container for Jimmy.

Now we are on a mission to fill it. A Picton architect who spent some time in Vanuatu came forward and has designed a home to Vanuatuan conditions. Nick Beattie construction have offered their labour to build some of the home here and flat pack it so it fits in the container.He will also teach Jimmy how to use power tools ,Goodyer electrical have offered their expertise and time with wiring etc.

A school in Picton which has closed has offered all their resource books, which we will pack up into the container to be shipped to different islands as many schools have lost so much in the cyclones.

Everyone, at least once in their life, should aim to change someone else’s.

If we can together achieve building this home for this deserving family, we know they and their village will feel safe when the next cyclone hits.

Thank you so much for reading.