Waiting for a bus …
I spend a lot of time waiting for a bus when in Vanuatu. The past 12 months, I estimate I've taken 650 bus trips, injecting around 100,000 vatu (that's about $1,300 NZD) into the bus economy :) Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai…
Holidays aren’t for everyone
Be inspired Recently, she took first holiday and she's 48 years old, but why did she wait so long? She grew up in a small village on a small island in a small country. She’s not always been in paid…
The V Factor
If you are regular visitor, or have lived in Vanuatu, you will no doubt have heard or referred to, the V Factor. The V factor can mean several things, sometimes positive and sometimes not quite you were expecting. It can…
Community Conversations with FreshFM Radio
Judene Edgar speaks with Belinda from Mammas Laef about Period Poverty and how a group of Vanuatu people are tackling the burden felt by many women in the island nation. Follow this link to listen. https://www.freshfm.net/Programmes/Programme-Details.aspx?PID=9bc6e10b-f881-41e4-a587-abbcd702af6b This is an insight…
See what we’ve been up to …
A little taste of what we experienced when visiting the southern islands of Futuna and Aniwa. This is what we call impact. Making a difference in Vanuatu. Tackling "period poverty". Thanks to the the Frontier Innovators programme of DFAT Australia.
Period. End of a Sentence.
Menstruation, periods, rags, Aunt Flo, or sik mun (if you are in Vanuatu) – whatever you call it – “it” is certainly attracting a lot of media interest these days. Academy Awards In fact, ‘Period. End of Sentence’ just won…
Empowerment has many faces
Empowerment of women can happen on many levels and has many faces. In terms of empowerment with Mamma’s Laef, people tend to think of the “empowerment” being, “having access to good menstrual hygiene pads”, or “receiving education / awareness”. Mamma’s…
3 years later ….. we see Nikaura Kindergarten
Malafau and Nikaura villages are on the island of Epi. Back in 2014, two women from those villages (who were working in New Zealand at the time for an orchardist in Motueka), asked me if I was able to source…
Home of the worlds’ most accessible active volcano – Tanna Island
Mamma's Laef have supplied hundreds of washable sanitary pads to girls in schools on the southern island of Tanna, in Vanuatu, via CARE International in Vanuatu. CARE International invited two of our team to visit Tanna Island in late February…
No more sales
The day has finally arrived and my final GST return can be completed. The website shop has closed. For those lovers of Lav Kokonas Virgin Coconut Oil, I'm sorry, but I have been unable to find an alternative NZ supplier…