EDUCATION NEWS

We are excited to share the news that the Fijian Prime Minister, Commodore Bainimarama announced in 2014 that the Fijian Government, for the first time ever, will provide all funding for school fee’s to all Fijian children. This means that all children will have their school fees covered, and will never again be turned away in the event that their parents could not find the fees.

This is exceptional news and in light of this, and the years that we have all been working together to ensure the school fees are paid, we did not want to cease the difference that we can make.

After reading the governments Mission Statement, we felt that we should continue, and with the help of the many visitors to the island, still work at making a difference.

With your help, our aim is to ensure that every child on the island of Nacula will have the uniforms, stationery, and their school needs taken care of. Once these needs have been met, we can then allocate leftover funds to maintain the amenities blocks, the medical supplies required, sports facilities and alike.

The aim is to request a small donation, anywhere from $1, and we then match the donations dollar for dollar.

You know your donations are going where they should as we have a specified education account which is governed by a representative for the school board.

WANT TO MAKE A DONATION TO THE VILLAGE?

We are always very grateful for any donation that guests contribute towards the Education Fund here at the resort, but that aside, many people also ask us what they can bring as a donation/gift for the children from the primary school, the people of Nacula, the staff or the village in general. So we thought that we would assist by giving you a few suggestions.

The children who board at the primary school often have very few possessions, so clothing, school bags, and pencil cases, for instance, are a prized possession.

2014 saw the enhancement of the generator servicing the school - hence the capability to power computers! If you have any old (but working) laptops or ipads that you would like to donate - this is an extremely valid destination.

Or if you can squeeze any new or used items such as pillowcases, sheets or even blankets into your luggage, these would be most welcomed – especially by the boarders who live at the school from Sunday to late Friday from the age of 5.

In general, clothing items are hard to come by and as the boat journey to the mainland for a family may only be achieved once every 6 months at the most, any item donated is cherished.

Sporting equipment as many have found is definitely welcomed, with the primary school hosting regular sporting events such as rugby, netball and of course, volleyball. Even running shoes that are fine but are grown out of are like ‘gold’ on the island.

Some great ideas that we have found at the top of the list from our island family are:

• Sunglasses

• Hats

• Old watches (prized possession)

New or used and also the great carry bags that we all seem to collect and take for granted (The ones from the stores we visit)– these are prized possessions and make storing items and traveling to work and to the other islands easier.

The Bra Barrell Appeal

We are also big supporters of causes such as the Breast Care Awareness Campaign where we assist all women from Nacula Island in getting screened for Breast Cancer. A big part of this cause is to also collect as many bras as possible to add to the Pink Barrell located in the office. We aim to be able to offer these to each and every woman from the island as these can be quite expensive and for some women, who only visit the mainland several times a year – a decent bra is often not on the list of necessities. But as all women know, a bra can certainly assist with any breast discomfort. If you have any bras you can collect from friends and family, then please do help us to make a difference and bring a huge smile to the beautiful ladies of Nacula.

Visit Villages, Markets & Schools

Blue Lagoon Beach Resort is fortunate enough to have a co-dependency with Nacula Village, the village has over 300 people who live there and relationships with the Elders, the community and also the children are a part of our daily lives on the resort.

Aside from the managers, the executive chef and a few tradesmen from the mainland, all staff come from Nacula village and for some, are experiencing their very first position within a resort environment. 

You have the opportunity to visit the village when we take the guided tour each week. The below is just a snippet to get you well and truly curious!

You will be taken over by boat and led through the village by one of our local guides. You will be shown things like the very first attempts at building a church by the Catholic missionaries in the early 1900s. The church was constructed from crushed, washed up coral and rocks and packed down to form walls, etc. From here you make your way through the village and visit the current 3 churches, you then visit the chief’s hut. This is by far the biggest and most elaborate hut of all and can only be used when the chief is in attendance in the village.

From here we take you through to the community hall where you will get to experience a traditional meke performed by the older members of the community. This is the Fijian way of welcoming you into their village.

You then have a tour through the craft market where the ladies sell their hand-made arts and crafts.

We finish the tour with a 5-minute walk to the primary school where you get to meet the children in person. They do not get the opportunity to see many visitors or even visit the mainland themselves, so they genuinely love and welcome any guests who pop in to say ‘Bula’.