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Published: December 31st 2009
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Early return
The colors were amazing on the flat water at sunrise. After leaving Banam Bay for the Maskelyne Island Group we got word that the two volunteers meant to join us for our October Expedition would be delayed due to lost luggage courtesy of a wonderful airline. Delays are common for us, however, so it was no big deal.
The goal of our October Expedition was to gather information from the Southern and Western Coasts of Malekula for the Vanuatu Ministry of Health. The tall ship Alvei was to deliver hiking teams to key points along the coast so that overland teams could hike from village-to-village gathering information.
Since we were delayed a bit I decided to do some preliminary scouting to the islands off the South Coast of Malekula. Akhamb Island is the largest of these and is home to over 600 people. Several years ago Project MARC had some projects here through a Kiwi doctor (Geoff) and his mid-wife partner (Raewyn).
Also on the island of Akhamb is a zone dispensary staffed by a government nurse named Justin. I’d met Justin in 2007 when he was stationed at the Sason Dispensary in Banam Bay and was looking forward to catching up with him. On our first day
The Ripster
The structure in the back is the future garage for the boat. anchored off Sakao we got word that both Geoff and Justin were on Akhamb for the moment and I decided to go and pay them a visit.
To do so we needed to spruce up one of Project MARC’s auxiliary vessels: The Ripster. The boat was being stored in Sakao during the off-season and only needed a little bit of maintenance before she was ready to take out. For a test run, I took Jay and Mich out around the channel with a surfboard and a rope. After all, testing your equipment prior to use is essential.
Once that was done James Lesure and I took the Ripster out to Akhamb. The seas were a bit rough and I decided that should the run be made again it would be best to do so at sunrise when the water would be calmer.
Upon our arrival in Akhamb, both James and I met up with Dr. Geoff and his host Johnnie Walker. It turned out that Nurse Justin was off the island for a bit and would return at a later date. Also the chiefs of the village would not be available to meet as some were absent
A tune up.
Evan replaced spark plugs and cleaned the thing up as well.
That afternoon we went over to the mainland to a village names Farun. We were going to check up on site preparations that were being made for a prospective US Peace Corps worker. The house was still under construction but looked as though good progress was being made and would be ready by the deadline date.
After staying the night, both James and I departed in the early morning to return to Alvei. The hospitality was second to none and we had a great time with the Geoff and the Walker family.
Also happening at this time were preparations for a very large cultural festival that would take place on the island of Uliveo (very near to where we were anchored). Originally we had planned to skip the festival in order to make time along the coast and meet our deadlines. With the delay of our last volunteers plans were changed and it seemed our time would be best used holding clinic days during the festival.
Since there were still a few days before the festival I made another trip to Akhamb with Jay Terry our Belgian volunteer. I scheduled meeting with the chiefs and
Throwing it on.
Jay bled lines one it was all hooked up. nurse in advance to improve the chances of catching the right people on this second visit.
As usual the scenery was amazing and we were hosted like visiting royalty. I met with Justin and the Chiefs to learn quite a few things about the situations in South Malekula and on Akhamb in particular.
We’ve all heard a lot about global warming and even heard from some that the whole thing is a hoax. Well nobody’s laughing about it in Akhamb. Global warming or not, one thing is for sure: water levels are rising in the South Pacific and small islands like Akhamb will be under water soon.
This community of 600 has started the preliminaries of the pending evacuation that is coming in the next few years. The chiefs have created a 5-year plan that will gradually transition their people from the island to the mainland. The plan is for the community establishments to make the move first and then have the people trickle over so as not to overrun the mainlanders in Farun all at once. First to move will be the high school, followed by the dispensary, and then finally the church.
Already, there
Dr. Geoff
Here he is making a call from the beach. One of the only places with reception is an extreme scarcity of resources as wells are starting to go brackish (fresh water contaminated with salt water). As the sea levels rise many of the wells are becoming contaminated and the water shortage is taking its toll. There are many water tanks in the villages, but with dry season droughts becoming longer each year it doesn’t matter how many tanks you set up. Without rain, a water tank is of little use.
A few years ago there was a Peace Corps Volunteer stationed on Akhamb name Julie Engaro who placed dozens of water tanks in the coastal villages. The work that she did was truly amazing, but at the time of our visit all the tanks were dry. We were also told by locals of how the palm trees along the beach are falling over as the rising salt water slowly poisons them.
Not all of the news was bleak, however. Justin the district nurse had things well in hand for his region. His information for all the villages in his zone was far more in depth than anything our teams could hope to gather with impromptu interviews as we passed through villages. Justin had very
The Walkers
Johnnie and his family are great people. little to work with, but was doing a miraculous job with the resources he had available. His biggest hurdle, he shared with us, was the lack of transport for his medical services. He was given a boat when he took over the dispensary, but fuel costs have stopped him from being able to make routine checks on the outer communities of his sector. The cost of getting a gallon of fuel out to Akhamb is considerably higher than what the average American pays at the pump.
Although Jay and I had only one night on Akhamb during this second visit, it was very enlightening and absolutely worth the trip. Doctor Geoff hopes to return to Akhamb next year and if MARC can acquire enough funding we’ll be able to help him with his endeavors there.
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