Imagine your view of the wider world community being that portrayed on Hollywood DVDs and TV. Then you have access to a mobile phone and all the knowledge that communications can offer.
Will this improve your view and offer you a more balanced picture of what is outside your immediate neighborhood?
Across the 700 plus kilometres of Vanuatu and throughout the 83 islands of the archipelago, distance between the remote communities has not always made communications easy. As the people move about on foot, the first ever, large new shiny billboards tower high above.
The Ni-Vanuatu people look up to the promise on these horizon blotting billboards. A promise of easy communication between each other via the recently introduced mobile phone network.
From generation to generation, Ni-Vanuatu have passed down their oral history. Song, dance, carving and sand drawing were used to pass down the ancient traditions of important family and community tales, expertise and genealogy.
The intermingling of traditional ways between islands has been reliant on the weather. Suitable conditions are needed for the outrigger canoes to make the deep ocean crossings over the horizon to distant islands. Even with the introduction of modern telecommunications, the regions that have missed out have been the remote islands.
In these outer regions modern technologies proved expensive to install. The main island of Efate has been where the Vanuatu government has focussed its systems. Random villages on the outer islands being provided with a single solar powered telephone. To make just one call to the capital, Port Vila, the President of Torba Provincial Council must fly from Sola to Gaua.
The isolation on these remote islands has produced a strong identification by individuals, especially the men, to their home island. ‘Man Ambrym’, ‘Man Pentecost’, ‘Man Gaua’ are proud statements from the men. A discussion of family by a woman will provide a history of her parents “My father is from Sola and my mother’s family is from Pentecost”.
In the 21st century, with many young people living far from their home islands, there is limited communications available with their family members. ‘No cash’ economies dominate many parts of Vanuatu. Someone has to scrape up the cash to purchase the phone and phone card. Yet there is no guarantee that a phone system is available.
Prior to 2008, the communications that were available were under the control of only one company, which led to a very expensive monopoly. The Vanuatu government has opened the country to competition in the telecommunications industry.
Vanuatu has been turned on its head by the new player in the telecommunication field. This company has promised to supply a nation-wide coverage, cheap phones and cheap top-up schemes.
The people of Torba Province have dreamt since Independence 27 years ago that they might get a phone system. The lives of the Ni-Vanuatu people will be changed with the impact of the new communications. For the first time people from the breadth and width of Vanuatu will be able to talk to each other.However, there will be both positive and negative impacts on the communities.
Family communications will be improved and contacts maintained. Knowledge will be accessed across wide distances. For example, the ladies will know what produce to send to market. The central hospital will be able to provide improved medical support by phone links.
The new technology has been embraced by the young. This technology savvy generation will be in constant contact with their friends.
In high demand will be money to recharge the phone. Pre-arranged meeting points will see the youth become more mobile. The villagers will despair of having the youth available to undertake their duties. Vanuatu’s social structure will be in an ever higher state of flux than it already is.
Vanuatu’s challenge though is to see that these youth are educated beyond the spoken word and the gimmicks of technology.
For progress in the 21st century, Vanuatu needs the young to have the ability to earn an income and be able to clearly communicate in the business world.
Chief Charles Bice, owner of a guest house, in the remote northern islands of Torba Province, is hopeful of an improved service. “My guests cannot get through to book so they just drop in and this is not good for my business”.
The Vanuatu government’s traditional position on Torba Province is that the province is not economically productive. It admitted late in 2007 that it is unable to provide educational resources and financial support to the isolated, northern islands.
On these remote islands, a village school can be a few wooden benches outside a hut at the end of the clearing. There are no chairs so children squat on their haunches. Pages are torn from exercise books to be shared for writing practise. Pencils are broken into three. Reading is done by the teacher or the book is passed from child to child as there are not enough to go around.
Children throughout Vanuatu miss out on an education. Free education is not available. For many communities with meagre or no incomes, education is beyond their realm.
The unfortunate consequences of this are:
• only 55.8% of Vanuatu kids will get to grade 6;
• of those only 18.2% will go to high school ;
• 26% will never go to school at all.
Rick and Wendy Tendys, the founders of YouMe Support Foundation, are raffling Seachange Lodge (a private holiday home, plus 6 luxury holiday apartments) on the Internet, to raise funds for non-repayable high school education grants for the children of the outer islands of Vanuatu. This is a World First, Blue Moon Opportunity that will change someone’s life, as well as the lives of these children.
You can be part of this exciting project that will help the next generation to keep an informed balance. It is not enough to have modern gimmicks if you do not have the wider education to go along with it.
