Our Time with the people of Fote Village

It was incredibly hot when Max and I arrived in Honiara for the first time in December 2009. We were paralyzed and we thought – how are we going to survive the next two months here??? Walking around in Honiara made us feel a bit insecure because it was the first time for us in the South Pacific and we didn’t know anything about the Solomons and its people.

The day we arrived in the Fote village together with Mirjam from “Little and Loud”, we were welcomed with a wonderful and overwhelming welcome ceremony which the village people had organized for us. A women’s choir, whose members were all dressed in beautiful white dresses, sang “Step by Step” – a song that would later become one of our favorites. Singing with their amazing voices, they accompanied us to the decorated stage where people gave us necklaces made of Frangipani blossoms.

Then a “Bamboo Band” in traditional costumes with bamboo flutes and drums appeared and played the most uplifting and groovy music we have ever heard. They were dancing gracefully while playing and even performed the National Anthem of the Solomons – we were absolutely thrilled!

Karassi Bamboo Band having a break

The ceremony ended with a few speeches and some delicious food. It seemed that the whole village had assembled and was sitting under the big tree in front of the stage. We drowned in smiling faces and warm handshakes. Never in our lives had anybody treated us with such appreciation.

During the following days Mirjam showed us around and introduced us to the people and the different parts of Fote. However the heat was still unbearable for us and even walking in a slow pace turned out to be a physical challenge especially because Sarah had caught a flue.

After Mirjam left, we started with our holiday program, which included English lessons, music and drama. The children were all extremely interested in us and in school, so many turned up each day. They loved the banjo and violin and sang so naturally. They are the students every teacher would dream off. The kids were shy at the beginning but we soon got closer and shortly before Christmas, we even made a Christmas movie with them, which we showed in the “cinema” in front of their parents and neighbors. It was one of the highlights and everybody enjoyed it.

In school…

Every Thursday we took a truck and 30 minutes later arrived to Auki where we taught computer literacy to a few teachers of Fote primary school. We also used the time there to keep “Little and Loud” updated with our program and progress, which turned out to be quite tedious as the internet connection got interrupted a few times. However the air-condition in the Telecom building made it all worthwhile!

Each morning we woke up to the beautiful singing in the church and people would bring us local food consisting of sweet potatoes, rice, noodles and fish with cabbage. On weekends and on other days we tried to cook our own meals in our ‘kitchen’ which was a little leave hut next to our hut with a little fire place and a hole in the roof. We learned to appreciate electric water jugs while we tried to make fire and get the water boiling which could take up to 30 minutes in absolutely smoke filled air. We would come out with charcoal in our faces, bathed in sweat and coughing…However we adapted and even managed to cook Chinese instant noodles. We’d fall asleep to the calming sound of singing voices from somewhere out in the dark…

It stopped raining for three weeks in December and there was no running water in the village which meant that we weren’t able to cool off under the open-air shower of the village under the stars. We had to use our rain water that we collected in a big drum outside our hut. We never thought that we would ever be so desperate for rain in our lifetime! However in January it started raining again and it rained a lot! The empty streams and waterholes filled with crystal clear water for us to jump in and cool off. We swam through the rainforest with a green kaleidoscope of leaves above our heads.

The heat could be oppressive and the absent rain didn’t make it easier. Inside the school building it felt like in a sauna as the tin roof heated itself up quickly. However the children were diligently learning, singing and practicing drama in front of cameras which they especially loved. Every day they would ask if we would show the recorded scenes in the evening on TV. And when we did, young and old would burst out laughing.

In the ‘cinema’ showing the Christmas movie we made with the kids.

The children impressed us the most. They climbed up high coconut palms and cut coconuts open with giant bush knives. They could do anything the adults could do from carrying heavy buckets filled with water to working in the hot sun in the garden for hours. Even the youngest would play without supervision by the sea and walk around in the bush. Nobody was ever worried that they might fall or drown or cut themselves except for me!

Take it easy…

Max and some men from the village started building shelves for the storage room of the school that the previous volunteers Marc and John had built. They also built furniture for the school and a roof for the Kindergarten with material they got from the bush.

Max and Chaniel building the roof for the Kindergarten…(always good teamwork)

One evening the sons and daughters of Taisol would play up with their own bamboo band instruments and the girls were singing and dancing for hours! There was nothing we could have taught them about music. It was a stunning performance, proof of a rich and alive musical culture.

Joining the Session with the Taisol Bamboo Band.

When it was time to say goodbye we were surprised about two farewell ceremonies that had been organized for us! One part of Fote called Karassi had prepared a sophisticated program with the Karassi bamboo band and even women dancing and singing traditional music. What an exciting performance to see and listen to! We were touched by the effort they had put in all this including the delicious meals. When the choir sang three emotional farewell songs, tears started falling. We were even given beautiful traditional shell-money necklaces as farewell presents and custom mats (traditional umbrellas).

The women of Karassi performing a ‘custom dance’.

As we mentioned at the beginning of this report, we were never treated in such an honored and appreciative manner. We don’t know how we can give back what these people have given to us. It is a truth that these simple and warm-hearted people have given us an invaluable experience and understanding.

Despite the hardships this way of life poses to western people, we are endlessly thankful for the time we spent in Fote. Thank you ‘Little and Loud’, especially Mirjam for letting us be part of the project.

They really are little and loud…

building a strong foundation

When approached by my brother, John, with the idea of doing some volunteer work in the Solomon Islands, my first question was, where’s the Solomon Islands? Apart from hearing the name once or twice in my life I didn’t know where it was and knew even less about what goes on there. I soon learnt a bit about the country and Little and Louds’ objectives with Fote Primary School. After having finished my training to be a carpenter, I was looking for something different, so I said yes. And I’m so glad I did.

In late September, after a long journey, me and my brother arrived at Fote Primary School to a most incredible and overwhelming welcome. There was the female church choir, boys with spears in traditional dress, girls hanging wreaths of flowers around our necks, and the unique sound of the pan-pipes. We shook hands with everyone from the surrounding villages and it was great to finally be doing what I’d been thinking about for all those months previous.

We stayed in a picturesque hut, situated on the school grounds. It was elevated on stilts and it’s walls and roof were cladded with the local sago palm leaf. Everyday, three times a day, people would come from different villages (according to Little and Louds rota) to bring us cooked, local food, and plenty of it. They would often sit down and talk with us, sometimes in english and sometimes in their national language, Pijin english. Each morning we’d be woken to the sound of the church choir, practising their hymns, which definitely beats any alarm clock. Neighbours would bring us hot water in large thermos flasks to last us for the day. Then, after breakfast, John would go off to teach the children and I would pick up my tools and get to work on building. I worked alongside three local men, all of whom had kids at the school and so were very willing to help with the building and growth of it.

Over the two months, we built a new storage room- a secure lock-up for the schools materials and equipment. We made two new toilets for the children. We did lots of maintenance jobs to the existing school building, such as painting it, putting secure locks on the doors and fixing wire to the open windows. Finally, during the last 3-4 weeks, we built a new and much needed classroom for the pre-schoolers.

one of many accomplishments

All the work was done by hand, and in the humid, tropical heat my muscles protested, being use to mainly using power tools. The local guys found it hard work but were use to it. Everyone around had strong muscles, use to a life of building, gardening, carrying and cleaning, all done without the aid of electricity. I felt like a little boy compared to these strong men and women. But throughout my time there, I could feel myself adjusting to the climate, food, work as well as to their customs and ways of doing things.

Everyone would pitch in with the work. John helped when he had a free period or after school had finished. Local men and women would come and bash in some nails or carry a few things. And the children would help lift things and fetch things. They would watch me intently as I worked. They have a copy-cat way of learning so when I handed them the tools it’s almost like they just knew what to do with it, even kids of age 4 or 5.

The progression of the building and teaching was seen as a communal effort, not one based on hand-outs. Little and Louds funding provided the necessary materials yet it’s their presence in the community and the education they’re providing which is really inspiring the people of the area to do more for their school and community. And I think, given more time, Fote Primary School will be seen as a shining example of what community spirit can do.

Personally, the way that the people of Fote welcomed us, looked after us and treated us like we were family was truly meaningful to me and my time in the Solomons is one that will always stay with me.

Mark and Johnnie with the kids

Last September-November 2009, our good friends, brothers Mark and John flew all the way from the UK to the Solomon Islands to help us achieve the goals that we set during the Adopt-a-Village drive with News.com.au. In just 8 weeks they accomplished more than we could imagine – a new building for the pre-class, fresh paint for the main building, security wires on the windows, demolishing the dilapidated building, a sanitation block, english classes for the students and teachers and a computer skills program for the teachers and adults. The boys have done AMAZING things for us and Fote will forever keep them in their hearts.

enjoying a swim with the kids

And thanks to your generosity the reality far exceeded expectations with your donations smashing through the $10,000 target to give the children of Fote Village a real world Christmas they will never forget.

The team at news.com.au’s partners Little and LOUD have just returned from the Solomon Islands where they were dazzled by a traditional village welcome and shared the joy with the kids in a special Christmas feast of fish, rice and taro.

In pictures: Take the journey to Fote Village

Little and LOUD operations director Rhoda Lazo said despite fighting bouts of malaria and island flu they were able to turn our online Christmas dreams into reality for some very happy children as they unveiled gifts including hula hoops, footballs and crayons.

“Before we could even put our bags down we had a huge fanfare of panpipes with the kids and the whole community waiting for us,” Ms Lazo said.

“The kids were really happy to see us – they had huge smiles and they gave us lais (traditional flower necklaces). They put a lot of effort into welcoming us.”

Over news.com.au’s six-week “crowdfunding” journey last year we watched the total rise and rise adding to the tally of goodies in our basket and peaking at $12, 853 as the team flew out on December 19.

The centrepiece of the Little and LOUD visit was a movie night under the stars put on by hiring a generator and a projector hooked up to a laptop.

As well as carting the equipment into the remote jungle the team had to find an appropriate screen – which came their way in the form of a handy white bed sheet.

“It was very makeshift but it worked,” Ms Lazo said. “To see the children’s faces – they were just in awe. They had never really seen a movie screen before and we played The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. Everyone was in a riot, laughing.”

As well as the Christmas fun, the news.com.au reader donations have so far helped provide new desks and educational supplies for the village primary school.

The money is more than the Solomons Government gives the school for an entire year and will also provide valuable support for upgrading the derelict buildings.

Future plans include constructing an assembly hall and a library as well as healthy toilet blocks for the children and teachers.

Ms Lazo said the donations had given the community hope and built some momentum for organising other school projects locally.

“Thank you so much for all you’ve done,” she said. “The kids are incredibly ecstatic and the whole community is grateful.”

See more about the Adopt-a-village project here

By Will Temple, News.com.au staff writer

(From: http://www.news.com.au/villagers-welcome-newscomau-donations/story-0-1111118561360)

hoop dreams come true

Thanks to the generosity of news.com.au readers, the kids from our adopted village in the Solomon Islands are about to have a Christmas they will never forget.

The team from our partner charity, Little and LOUD, are leaving today for Fote Village laden with gifts after your donations successfully passed the $10,000 target in our crowdfunding project.

Over the six-week journey we have watched the total rise and rise adding to the tally of goodies in our basket.

Along the way have come heartfelt messages of support including from a tiny outback school whose children know what it’s like to live in a remote community.
While most of you gave between $10 and $20, it was the campaign’s single biggest donation of $1000 this week that allowed us to achieve our final goal of renovating the broken-down village school.

With the total standing at $12,853.21, Christmas for the kids will also include sporting goods like footballs and skipping ropes as well as a special movie night celebration under the stars.

Little and LOUD’s communications director Michelle Roldan, 25, said they were excited to have reached the final goal after seeing first-hand the harsh conditions and lack of opportunities we take for granted in Australia.
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“It’s going to be pretty uplifting for the community there,” Ms Roldan said. “The fact that Australia is being so generous and showing such compassion means so much to them.”

The team is flying courtesy of SkyAirWorld and will spend Christmas and New Year working with the children and organising the school renovation.

News.com.au editor David Higgins thanked readers for showing such generous Christmas spirit in the face of uncertain economic times.

“It’s fantastic at Christmas to be able to make a difference helping out like this,” Mr Higgins said.

“The success of this project shows how we can use the community of the web to really change lives.”

Donations can be made through Little and LOUD’s secure PayPal account using the button on news.com.au’s Adopt a Village interactive above or through our special section here.

You can also transfer money to their Westpac account in the name “Little and Loud International Incorporation”, account number 202754 and BSB: 032-040.

By Will Temple, News.com.au staff writer

(From: http://www.news.com.au/readers-raise-12000-for-village-kids/story-0-1111118365260)

Alexandria resident, Michelle Roldan who is rallying support from news.com readers to raise funds for needy children

A tropical holiday to the Solomon Islands turned into something of a vocation for 25-year-old Alexandria resident Michelle Roldan.

She and her friend Mirjam Verkleij travelled to the small island of Malaita, where they planned to help out for a few days at the Fote village school.

“We thought we’d be going to a school of about 60 children, but it turned out to be about 300,” Ms Roldan said.

Conditions at the school were not good, she said.

“There’s one building that’s kind of new but there are no desks and chairs.

“There are a couple of huts for the kindergarten kids, with no walls and doors and if it rains they just have to stop class.”

They stayed in the village for 10 days and came home determined to help.

Along with their friend Rhoda Lazo, the women established Little and LOUD to raise funds for the village.

They’ll be returning to Fote on December 19 and they hope to have raised $10,000 by then – currently they’re almost there, with $7,642.

Along with providing funding, the charity also encourages communication between the village children and children in the developed world.

They have produced a book of stories from Melanesian culture, with illustrations by island children, which will go on sale next year.

In return, they will be bringing stories written by Australian children with them to the island for Christmas.

News.com is partnering with Little and LOUD to raise money, so to donate, visit http://www.news.com.au/features/adopt-village.

By Jennifer Bennett

(from: http://sydney-central.whereilive.com.au/news/story/a-loud-voice-of-hope)

a drawing from a clare student to fote

But the children from Clare Public School in rural Australia and Fote Village in the Solomon Islands know exactly what it is like to live in a remote community.

This Christmas – through the work of an Australian startup charity and news.com.au – they are sharing their experiences with each other in a unique penpal scheme.

Fote is the village news.com.au readers have so far raised almost $8000 for so that the Little and LOUD charity can give them the sort of gifts and facilities most of us take for granted.

Clare Primary School in rural New South Wales may not be in the jungle but it is just as remote, attended by just seven youngsters drawn from the farms in the area.

When Little and LOUD programme director Rhoda Lazo visited Clare last month she brought along photos and drawings done by the Solomons kids and it turned out both groups knew a thing or two about the land.

Gallery: See outback kids and their pictures
Pictures: What the kids in Fote Village drew for us

“What struck me about the drawings the kids did in Fote was just how much nature and animals played into their daily lives,” Ms Lazo, 33, said.

“When we asked them to draw their best friend one of the children drew a pig.”

Ms Lazo said in Clare the children were so impressed by the pictures from faraway Fote they grabbed crayons to draw pictures of windmills, farmland and anatomically-correct merino rams to share the stories of their daily lives.

“They talked about farming and sheep in quite intricate detail,” she said.

Little and LOUD plan to return to Fote with the Aussie kids’ drawings and gifts from the news.com.au Adopt a Village crowdfunding project.

On the back of one of the windmill pictures from Clare was a simple message of connection: “I hope you have a merry Christmas. Greetings from Clare School, Australia. From Fred.”

This week the Adopt a Village crowdfunding total stands at $7642 – leaving $2358 to reach our target of $10,000.

Donations can be made through Little and LOUD’s secure PayPal account using the button on news.com.au’s Adopt a Village interactive above or through our special section here.

You can also transfer money to their Westpac account in the name “Little and Loud International Incorporation”, account number 202754 and BSB: 032-040.

By News.com.au Staff Writers

(From: http://www.news.com.au/aussie-kids-penpals-with-fote-village/story-0-1111118193698)

thank you australia for the new desks and chairs!

WITH your generous help we have already smashed through the halfway mark and then some to raise more than $6000 for the needy kids of Fote Village in our $10,000 Christmas charity drive.

Since launching the news.com.au Adopt a Village “crowdfunding” project with the Little and LOUD, charity last week readers have added $6378 to the pool to help the remote Solomon Islands settlement.

Money has come from away as Iceland – closer to Santa’s home in the North Pole than our neighbours in the Solomons – and highlights the reach of the web to raise funds.

The sum means Little and LOUD can return to the village with a Christmas list that includes new desks and supplies for their school as well as a celebration with a movie screening under the stars.

The responses are well into triple figures now with the biggest donation coming overnight with a tremendous $500 deposit.

Little and LOUD operations director Rhoda Lazo said the level of support was an inspiration and would make a “world of difference” for the 300 children in the remote village.

“What struck me about visiting the preschool was that some of the little ones were just sitting on the ground on rocks being completely uncomfortable,” Ms Lazo, 33, said.

“With the latest donations we can get them proper desks.”

Little and LOUD started earlier this year by three young women determined to make a difference after visiting the island settlement.

Adopt a village special section

Since partnering with news.com.au to “Adopt a Village” the group has received messages of support from crowdfunders like Brett:

“Just wanted to say what great, inspiring work you are doing,” he said. “Not only is your cause very admirable, but also makes a lot of sense and is something I strongly believe in.

“The Solomon Islands seem like such a beautiful place with wonderful people and they deserve much more opportunity than what they are given.”

And this message came in from Georgia: “Wow what a difference you are making,” she said. “Well done – it’s really inspirational work you are doing!”

Crowdfunding is a means to raise money through the networking powers of the web and gives even the smallest donations real power. It has been effective in – amongst other things – helping put Barack Obama in the White House.

Donations can be made through Little and LOUD’s secure PayPal account using the button on news.com.au’s Adopt a Village interactive above or through our special section here.

You can also transfer money to their Westpac account in the name “Little and Loud International Incorporation”, account number 202754 and BSB: 032-040.

By News.com.au Staff Writers

(From: http://www.news.com.au/desks-chairs-and-more-than-halfway-there/story-0-1111118103100)

happy smiles in Fote

NEWS.com.au readers have raised almost $5000 to help the children of Fote in the Solomon Islands in our  “Adopt a Village” crowdfunding project.

The sum achieves the first four targets and gives the kids a Christmas celebration with a movie screening under the stars as well as buying much needed sporting equipment, art supplies and new library books for their falling down school.

Last week the total was at $3680 from 136 donations, with most giving between $10 and $20.

By midday today it was at $4658 - just short of  the next target and halfway mark of $5000 needed to put desks and chairs in the classroom.

Crowdfunding is a means to raise money through the networking powers of the web and gives even the smallest donations real power. It has been effective in – amongst other things – helping put Barack Obama in the White House.
This year’s Christmas drive is being organised through the work of charity Little and LOUD, which was started earlier this year by three young women determined to make a difference after visiting the island settlement.

Little and LOUD communications director Michelle Roldan, 25, said the media partnership with News.com.au had been vital to kickstarting the project which aims to raise $10,000 before the team head back to the village on December 20 with their Christmas gifts.

“The support has been overwhelming,” Ms Roldan, 25, said. “We didn’t expect to hit our first milestone on the first day.

“It’s been really inspiring to have people supporting us like this and just wants to make us push on more.”

The first target of $500 was reached by 11am last Tuesday  - just hours of the campaign was launched on News.com.au, allowing Little and LOUD the money to buy sporting equipment for the children.

By 4pm $1000 had been passed adding art supplies and by midnight with the $2000 barrier cracked, new library books were on the Christmas shopping list.

Donations can be made through Little and LOUD’s secure PayPal account using the button on news.com.au’s Adopt a Village interactive above or through our special section here.

You can also transfer money to their Westpac account in the name “Little and Loud International Incorporation”, account number 202754 and BSB: 032-040

(From: http://www.news.com.au/thousands-add-to-christmas-gift-list/story-0-1111118017023)

By News.com.au Staff Writers