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Rebuild Nananu-i-ra island

  • Fund now closed

      7 April 2016
    Main image

    Almost out last update, sadly on a day that Fiji is once again hit by strong winds and torrential rain at a time when they are least prepared, our thoughts are with our friends and family in Fiji

    Our Givealittle page has now closed and we made a massive total of $ 11,009.00 which is very humbling and sincere thanks to all that have given either funds or goods, they have been greatly received.

    We have a final shipment of goods going over the middle of next week which will be around 140 KG consisting of clothing, bedding, shoes etc. The island is slowly recovering and rebuilding has started. Some of the villagers e.g. Navi and Mereoni (whom some of you will know) are back in their original houses with enough damage repaired for them to return and begin to get their life back to some normality.

    We have balance is $2660 still to be distributed, and will decide where best that can be used in the next few weeks.

    Sue Scott is doing an amazing job helping each of the locals best spend their piece of the fund and is our essential link to the people on the island. We are very grateful for all her assistance and hard work.

    Special mention and big thank you to our local contacts, Pae and Bal, for their for their sound advice and hard work distributing the goods.

    As I mentioned our Givealittle page is now closed but for anyone who would still like to donate our good friend Aksel Jepsen has started a Givealittle fund directing practical and building assistance and materials etc to schools in the Rakiraki area. Aksel and his family have been active over many years assisting schools not only with funds but also materials, computers, books etc .

    The link to his page is listed below.

    https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/rakirakischool

    There perhaps will be one more e-mail from us giving you a rundown on our final spend but from Diane and I sincere thanks to you all for your generosity. Although there is a long way to go before

    Nananu-i-ra and all of Fiji are back on their feet, we have made a difference.

    Diane & Leen

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  • Newsletter

      24 March 2016

    Hi ,

    Thanks everyone again for your very generous donations and also our e-mail requesting clothing, linen, bedding, shoes etc has been very successful. We did decide to go to Nananu-I-ra ourselves to see firsthand what is required and how the funds are best distributed. We carried with us

    130kg of clothing, linen, shoes, solar lights and many other essentials. Extra baggage allowance thanks to Fiji Airways. All the goods have been distributed with the help of Pae (wife of Papu) and Sue Scott (One of the islands few non Fijian permanent residents) On the way to the island we purchased FJD 1000 worth of New World grocery vouchers which have also been distributed to the ones most in need. Although materials are hard to get we managed to secure an initial supply of timber and corrugated iron and bring it to the island (funded by our Giveallittle) for some immediate repairs.

    It is heartbreaking to see such destruction not only on Nananu-I-ra but the main island as well and everywhere looks like a war zone. Most houses and schools are either partly or completely destroyed; it will be a long time before Fiji recovers from this catastrophic cyclone. The destruction is so massive that it is hard to establish where to start first, we cannot imagine how it must feel to go from having very little to having just about nothing. We felt particularly moved to find our usually happy smiling friends looking defeated, still smiling but with such sad eyes. Besides getting practical help, they need our moral support and care.

    Again with the assistance of Pae and Sue we have put together a list of families on the island and those that are in most need, so some will receive more funding than others. The Giveallittle fund will not distribute cash but each recipient will choose their goods to the given value then they will be paid for, ensuring that funds are spent in the best possible way. The total Giveallittle fund sits at $ 9609 which is an amazing effort. Funds actually won’t be released till 25th of the month following so in the meantime we have personally funded what has been spent so far.

    Also for transparency sake we paid for our own air travel, hotels and other travel related expenses. The Giveallittle fund closes on the 31th of March but it would be great if we could get past the 10 K mark, so please share the page with your friends and relatives.

    I Have attached some pictures we took on the island. Again thank you all so much we have been overwhelmed by the kind hearted spirit of all of you who share our love for Fiji and its people.

    Leen and Diane

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