Newsletter, August 22, 2006

From Tribewanted

Revision as of 02:00, 17 January 2007

Preparations

Its been another busy busy week on our little island as we hurtle towards September 1st. Dan reports on our epic barge trip, Becky reveals the toilet vote results and what it means for those visiting Vorovoro, and Sara tells us about her first week in Fiji. Right we're off to do our island first aid training and another one of those sunsets. Until next week. Moce!

First building materials arrive on Vorovoro

Things in Fiji have a tendency to move pretty slowly most of the time, but when Ben and Ulai decided to locate, purchase and transport the first batch of building materials to Vorovoro they really turned Fiji time on its head! It's true that if you put your mind to something it's amazing what you can achieve.

Saturday the 19th was designated as the big moving day with different materials arriving from all kinds of suppliers in one co-ordinated movement to Malau's jetty. A team from Vesi, the furthest village from Vorovoro on the neighboring island of Mali, and Matai Labasa, a local mainland village gathered in good spirits to help with the lifting. Everything seemed to be running to plan apart from one thing, the barge! It was supposed arrive at 9am, but by the time Ben had tracked it down it hadn't even left and was still two hours away! After all the careful planning it only takes one thing to throw a spanner in the works, but it only really seemed to bother us, all the local boys from Mali just found a bit of shade to doze in.

Once the barge arrived things moved very quickly and it wasn't long before we departed for Vorovoro. As our army of boats gathered speed it dawned on me that by the time the barge arrived it would be low tide (big problem!) and the light would be fading fast. Again it only seemed to concern us as we soon discovered that the boys where more than happy to wade out to the barge and form a human chain from water to land. As the sun set on the horizon, dead coconut branches were collected and used as torches to light the way, it was an incredible sight that was enhanced by shouting and singing. After a very long day (13 hours) the job was done, the only thing left to do was to drift towards the Kava bowl for stories and some well earned rest.

A massive thank you must go out to the boys from Vesi and Matai Labasa.

Vinaka!

Compost poo wins tribal vote!

Good news: The toilet vote is now closed and we're pleased to announce that the eco-bog lovers have won!

This means, the first set of toilets to be built in the tribal village are to be environmentally sound composting toilets. No flush needed! The plans were donated by a local training centre founder, Chuck, who has the same system in successful operation at his school.

The workforce is arriving today (Tuesday) with materials to begin turning these 2D drawings into a fully functioning reality. These toilets will significantly minimize our impact on the surrounding area, particularly the ground and sea water. They will also provide us with a valuable fertilizer to put on our crops, not those which we eat, don't panic! There is something wholesome about turning our waste into the good stuff to help the plants grow, which in turn we can then use for building materials etc.

The next challenge is building them in time for the first footers to sit on next Friday!

Whilst our minds are in the gutter, this would be a good point to start thinking about the other types of waste we need to manage. A particular concern is the grey-water from kitchen sinks and washing. We have to think about what products we will be putting through these systems and also how best to treat the waste water. The first thing we need to decide on is whether we will be using fresh or salt water? There will be fresh water available on the island but obviously this will be limited. Salt water is in abundance so an option could be to mainly use saltwater then have a rationed rinse off cubicle to get the residue off your body.

Other things to think of are the products you bring. If we are using synthetic, chemical based products then it would not be advisable to have this grey water running into the surrounding area. Completely natural products would not cause the same problems so should we only have natural cleaning products on the island. This way, we would be truly eco-friendly. This vote will take place early next week so get on the forum and start discussing!

The main points to consider are:

Salt/fresh water showers? Rationing of fresh water? Bring what you like? Try to bring only eco-friendly products?

Voting: waste: http://community.tribewanted.com/forumcomm/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=337

Sara Jane arrives in Fiji

Finally after an eventfully journey I arrive at Vorovoro, to but the island into words is very difficult because it blew me away. In fact it left me speechless which doesn't happen often! The beauty of the place and the people is so enchanting and for me, seeing it puts a whole you slant on this project and what we are doing. It's a long way from home and the culture is very different but already I feel so settled and welcomed.

On a work level it is 24/7 for the team, preparing for the tribes arrival. The partnership we have with the people of Mali and Chief is amazing and they are all so excited about this project and your arrival. So many people just want to thank you for what Tribewanted is doing here, its incredible to be apart of.

But I think to fully understand this you need to witness it for yourself, words just don't seem to do it, Vorovoro is a very special place and I am so excited about the tribe members arriving and experiencing it for themselves!

== It's time for the tribe to decide: A religious shrine on the island? ==

One of the most heated debates on the tribewanted: vorovoro forum is that of whether there should be a religious shrine on the island. The reasoning behind this suggestion is that tribe members could create a shrine that would enable individuals to focus, spiritually, should they desire.

You can follow this debate here:

http://community.tribewanted.com/forumcomm/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=188&SearchTerms=shrine

The time has come for the tribe to decide on whether they want a shrine for the island. Head over to the voting booth now and place your vote:

http://community.tribewanted.com/vote/list.rails

Voting will close on the 29th August.

November's Chief nominations

We are now opening up nominations for November's Tribal Chief. Handing over from Poques' two month stint as Chief the November Chief will be building on the successful foundations that will already have been initiated.

If you would like to put yourself forward as November Chief please take a look at:

http://community.tribewanted.com/page/view.rails?id=The%2012%20Chiefs

Nominations will close on the 1st September when voting will then take place.

Until next time,

Tribewanted HQ