Tail of the Blue Baskets – headed for landfill-
I first wrote about these adorable baskets made from recycled industrial waste, in 2014 - almost three years ago. They were expertly woven by ni Vanuatu women from the island of Epi, when living and working in New Zealand as…
Nelson Hospital medical equipment finding new homes
Equipment being re-homed all over Vanuatu I received a lovely email from Annie, physiotherapist at the Vila Central Hospital. Annie arranged 2 truckloads of gear from the shipping containers sent to Vanuatu in mid 2016. Here's her inventory. Distributed 3 Bags of…
Schools back, Mamma’s are into action
The long school holidays are over in Vanuatu, So it's time to give you a quick update about the distribution of washable sanitary pad kits in and around Vanuatu. Students finishing their school holidays will have made their way back to school,…
Vanilla Extract and Paste on sale
20% off. Now until end of March. Limited stocks. Certified Organic. Favourite with foodies and chefs. Shop now. Still "paying it forward in Vanuatu". Mi lukim yu. Belinda.
Apples – Fabric – Hospital Beds :
Fabric Yesterday I prepared the boxes for transportation to Auckland. From there, Kiwanis will pack and ship a 20 foot container with educational equipment to be distributed around Vanuatu. There’s a mountain of fabric which has been prepared over the…
It’s time to fold up my market gazebo
Go finis (bislama) - a term used to indicate you are finished here, completed, job done! After attending the Saturday market in Nelson, for the past 190 weekends, and attending well over 300 markets since March 2013, I’m having a change…
With a little help from my friends
| Who would have thought | During another Lav Kokonas initiated project, I met a man who “got” what I was doing with the Mamma’s Laef project. He wanted to help in some way so I could achieve some of…
Mango Chutney – Vanuatu Style
| As the bus drove from the airport into Port Vila, along the way we passed numerous Mango trees, heavily laden with fruit. Very similar to my June visit, when pawpaw were everywhere (and we made Pawpaw relish). Mango Chutney was added to the "to do list" during…
10 more girls to receive kits
Thanks to the beautiful donors of the 10 Washable Sanitary Pad kits, which were sponsored during my 12 Days of Christmas. Small gifts of love, have been sent to the donors I could identify (some were anonymous) Thanks for providing gifts to our…