Call to help Vanuatu
Drouin Rotary Club recently enjoyed a visit from Darlene Fankhauser, who spoke of of her recent trip to Vanuatu and issued a call for help to build schools in the country.
In 2018, Darlene’s company Fankhauser Apples in Drouin joined the seasonal workers program and they now employ 16 seasonal workers each year from the country.
Vanuatu holds around 336,000 people who live on 83 different islands and speak more than 100 languages.
Darlene shared the amazing things that have happened since they started employing seasonal workers, including the generosity of the team leader Kerry Alexander, who has used his income from seasonal work to build a home for his family.
In Vanuatu, the average wage is three dollars per hour. Completing seasonal work in Drouin enables the team to contribute to their village’s life and economy.
Darlene also showed photos of the village where the Fankhauser team is from, where their local school has no electricity or water.
One new classroom for kindergarten students has been built after fundraising by the local community.
And so, the locals are working towards building four new classrooms, each costing $15,000.
Darlene shared photos from her most recent visit to the village, to which she took many stationery items to donate to the school.
A country that has suffered through four cyclones in the last nine years, Vanuatu’s towns and villages have been through a lot, including the frequent destruction of their crops.
At the end of her presentation, Darlene put out the challenge and asked if Drouin Rotary could assist in any capacity to help the friendliest and happiest people she had ever met.
Drouin Rotary Club president Mike Kelleher promised that her request would be given full consideration.