ProMedical Survivor Games

Zorbing was amazing, so let’s do it again!

The Rotary Club of Port Vila likes to support is ProMedical, Vanuatu’s Emergency Services Association, because of the good work that they do. Vanuatu is fortunate in having such a well-trained pre-hospital emergency service which provides 24-hour international standard intensive care paramedic ambulance services on the islands of Efate and Santo who can respond to emergencies on other islands as the need arises. Core values of the ambulance service include adhering to international standards for equipment and patient care, the professionalism of staff, responding to all calls for assistance on a 24-hour basis, and accessibility for all.

Port Vila Rotary is proud to have ProMedical’s Operations Manager Michael Benjamin as an active member. Michael’s knowledge and experience enables the Rotary club to apply its resources effectively where most needed.

After making a late decision to enter a Rotary team into the ProMedical Survivor Games competition at Benjor Beach Club Resort, the club was flooded with applicants who were keen to represent the club. The applicants are all top quality, so it was difficult for the selectors to decide on a team.  The selection trials and fitness tests did not make their job any easier. The Rotary club put together a team to shake the confidence of the winners of the last two contests, the Irafira Warriors. Although the competition Sheriff, Judge and Jury are all Port Vila Rotarians or friends of Rotary, the club felt confident of winning on its own merits.  If there was a prize for the best cheer squad and support staff, Rotary could win that too.

On September 20 , after a heart felt opening ceremony culminating with President Baldwin Lonsdale launching the Survivor Games, 18 teams tried their best to beat each other. Port Vila Rotary competed credibly in this competition for the first time, but their lack of experience was a telling factor. However, when it came to having fun and enjoyment, no team did better. ProMedical are congratulated on such a concept initiative , where all day, hundreds of people were subjected to laughter and screams of excitement.

They’re not budging! 

The Rotary Wheels team started slowly, but pitched against experienced campaigners in the Zorbing heats, they did not qualify for the race off. The tug of war would have been a good event for the Rotary Wheels, but once again, inexperience let them down and they were caught off guard. Determined to make amends, they came good on the zip line, showing great courage and athleticism.  Then in the heats of the Dress the Dummy relay, a true test of skill and speed, they streeted the opposition. However, due to misbehaviour by some renegades, the final became a battle zone which was won by the Judo Team who were more experienced in that sort of contest. The ominous warning of the Rotary Wheels was, “We’ll be back!”

Three Vanuatu schools delighted

In Operation Castor, conducted annually by the French Army of New Caledonia and the services of the Embassy of France, we were asked to provide schools with French books, school supplies, small sports equipment on the island of Tongoa in the north-northeast of Port Vila.

The Embassy has generously invited a member of Rotary (me in this case, as I have conducted this action since 2 years, last year was in Melsisi) during the inauguration ceremony of the clinic rehabilitated by the FANC to enable us to deliver our parcels to our recipients.

The Army supported the movement and it is in a military aircraft, a small troop transport (CASA), the official delegation consisting of the Staff of the FANC, a News reporter, a member of the association Pikini and myself flew to Port Vila where we expect a Puma helicopter that will take us to Tongoa island in the village of Silimauri.

The weather is beautiful and the helicopter flight, doors opened, above the islands of Vanuatu is beautiful. The village children around our helicopter from landing on the football field with shouts of joy and peals of laughter.

The Ambassador of France, The High Commissioner from NZ and local authorities are waiting us for welcome cocktail before the start of the ceremony. Some village women in traditional dress showing us the way to the clinic in singing, General Parlenti is leading our parade.

Arrived at the clinic refurbished, General Parlenti gives the honors to the detachment of Jacques Cartier, RIMAP and SMA. Official speeches begin for about 2:30, in French, English and Bislama. During the speech, Rotary is thanked for its action by all speakers, Ambassador, High Commissioner, Vanuatu ministers, chefs ...

At the end of the ceremony, a buffet of local dishes prepared by the villagers was erected on the land adjoining the church where our parcels were stored. Laure Chabrolle, attaché of the Embassy matches school officials to make a official presentation of our packages. I then met the teachers and principals of these schools from the end of the world. They thank us very warmly for what we did. Not enough time to unpack all the boxes, but Laure remains in place to ensure itself an equitable sharing between the three schools of the island. The inevitable picture freezes this emotional moment.

On the way brings us back to the helicopter, part of the crew of Jacques Cartier was a huge success in making the distribution to young mothers clothes we sent. At this moment, I am proud of our work and can testify that the modest work we have done provides immediate results and upsetting. I know that everything we have given will go where the needs are.

This is only a drop in an ocean of nothing ... Nothing summarizes all.

Submitted by Assistant Governor Noel Buttin, District 9910


Dans le cadre de l'opération Castor, réalisée tous les ans par les Forces Armée de Nouvelle Calédonie et les services de l'Ambassade de France, nous avons été sollicité pour fournir aux écoles francophones des livres, du matériel scolaire, des petits équipements sportifs sur l'ile de Tongoa au Nord-Nord Est de Port Vila.

L'ambassade a généreusement invité un membre du Rotary (votre serviteur en
l'occurrence) lors de la cérémonie d'inauguration du dispensaire réhabilité par les FANC pour nous permettre de remettre nos colis à nos destinataires.

L'Armée a pris en charge le déplacement et c'est en avion militaire, un petit transport de troupe (CASA), que la délégation officielle composée de l'Etat Major des FANC, une journaliste des Nouvelles, un membre de l'association Pikini et moi-même s'envole pour Port Vila où nous attend un hélicoptère Puma qui nous emmènera sur l'ile de Tongoa au village de Silimauri.

Le temps est magnifique et le survol en hélicoptère, portes ouvertes, au-dessus des ilots du Vanuatu est de toute beauté. L'atterrissage dans une clairière servant habituellement de terrain de football déclenche la joie des enfants du village qui entourent notre aéronef avec joie et éclats de rire dès l'arrêt des moteurs.

L'ambassadeur de France, le Ht Commissaire NZ et les autorités locales nous attendent pour un pot de l'amitié avant le début de la cérémonie. Quelques femmes du village en habit traditionnel nous ouvrent la route vers le dispensaire en chantant, le général Parlenti prend la tête de notre défilé.

Arrivés au dispensaire remis à neuf, Le général rend les honneurs au détachement du jacques Cartier, du Rimap et du SMA. Les discours officiels commencent pour près de 2h30, en français, en anglais et en bichlamar. Au cours de ces discours, le Rotary est remercié pour son action par tous les orateurs, Ambassadeur, Ht Commissaire, ministres vanuatais, grands chefs...

A la fin de la cérémonie, un buffet de plats locaux élaborés par les villageois a été dressé sur le terrain jouxtant l'église où ont été entreposés nos cartons. Laure Chabrolle, l'attachée de l'Ambassade rassemble alors les responsables des écoles pour faire une remise officielle de nos colis. Je rencontre alors des instituteurs et directeurs de ces écoles du bout du monde qui nous remercient très chaleureusement pour ce que nous avons fait. Le temps nous manque pour déballer tous les cartons, mais Laure reste sur place pour assurer elle-même un partage équitable entre les 3 écoles de l'ile. L'inévitable photo fige cet instant touchant.

Sur le chemin qui nous ramène à l'hélicoptère, une partie de l'équipage du Jacques Cartier connait un énorme succès en procédant à la distribution aux jeunes mamans des habits que nous avons envoyés. A cet instant, je suis fier de notre action et témoin que le travail modeste que nous avons réalisé procure un résultat immédiat et bouleversant. Je sais que tout ce que nous avons donné ira là où sont les besoins. Ce n'est qu'une goutte d'eau dans un océan de rien... Rien, ces 4 lettres résument tout.

Merci donc, chers amis, au nom des habitants de Tongoa pour votre implication et votre générosité.

Sachez que nous sommes attendus pour la prochaine opération Castor 2014.

Amitiés,
Noël
 

Making a difference in Vanuatu

Fencing: Rotary Club of Takapuna North International Director
Stuart Kendon with two local helpers, working on fencing
the Centre for the Vanuatu Society for Disabled People. 

Two Australian volunteers working with people with disabilities found a little girl sitting in the dirt in a village on Efate. Her legs, severely burnt from a candle lit under a mosquito net which caught fire, were deformed by scar tissue. Lack of treatment has tightened the scars. Her legs have become badly infected because she sits in the dirt, unable to move.

This is one of many sad cases in Vanuatu, where a lack of funding sees young and old with disabilities in life-threatening situations.

Men at work: The Rotary Club of Takapuna North NZ working
party (from left) International Director Stuart Kendon, Murray
Pearson and President Elect Phil Brosnan worked for a week
with Port Vila expat Derek Hodder (second from right) on the
first stage of upgrading the Centre for the Vanuatu
Society for Disabled People. 

A skeleton staff hangs on to keep the Centre for the Vanuatu Society for Disabled People (VSDP) open. Every day they turn up to work with little hope of remuneration, to a building that has been condemned in parts as unfit for public use.

Last July, the centre was humming with the sound of weed-eaters, electric drills and saws, and the smell of fresh paint permeated the air. The working bee on Children's Day was a statement to all: our centre is going tobe something our people can be proud of, and there are people who will make
this happen.

The Rotary Club of Port Vila, a new NGO called Friends of People with Special Needs, and the Rotary Club of Takapuna North from Auckland, NZ are working together to rebuild the centre.

This will provide premises from which field workers and volunteers can operate from, a centre where those with disabilities can come for workshops and help with healing, and a centre for building a team of people who will give support and hope to those who can't help themselves, through no fault of their own.

Three Kiwi Rotarians from Takapuna North Rotary, International Director Stuart Kendon, Murray Pearson and President Elect Phil Brosnan, worked the entire week to complete Stage 1 of four stages. They fixed up holes and did a lot of maintenance work, so the centre could keep functioning.

At the Children's Day working bee, local expats who included many Rotarians and their families, came to lend a hand. Friends of People with Special Needs provided lunch and also helped with the clean-up. There were a few special activities at the centre while some of the local Rotarians' children grabbed paintbrushes and spruced up a couple of rooms with the help of theirparents.

VSDP Director Elison Bovu organised the cutting down of trees to make way for a fence to define the boundary and prevent people from using the property as a right-of-way. During the week, Stuart and a couple of local helpers dug fence post holes in the heavy coral strata and rebuilt thefence.

Stage 2 at the end of last year involved 12 NZ Rotarians. It included the construction of an undercover play area for the early intervention programme - the Pikinini Group.

Stage 3 is the construction of a new office, kitchen and bathrooms, and Stage 4 is the demolition of the older section of the building. It is hoped that Stages 3 and 4 will be completed by the end of this year, according to the NZ Rotarians.

If anyone wishes to help on this project, please contact Marg Smith on margsmith@vanuatu.com.vu

Note:
There are no reliable recent figures for the number of people with disabilities in Vanuatu, but as estimated by the World Health Organisation,10% of the global population has a disability. Given Vanuatu's currentestimated population of 243,034, it is likely that 24,303 people living in
Vanuatu have a disability.

- by Marg Smith who runs the NGO, Friends of People with Special Needs, in
Port Vila