Anger Volcano and Education

Yesterday we went into a remote village near the volcano. The villagers gathered their sick to see us, as their opportunity to see a doctor is almost impossible for the weak and very sick and very difficult for the others. Its hard to describe the feelings of walking through the villages and going inside the tiny grass huts and seeing disabled men and women who are just not able to get out. They are always so brave, grateful and happy that it absolutely breaks your heart. Or the feeling of soaking in hotsprings with lush green vegetation crawling up the steep red cliffs on one side with the waves crashing in front and the Angry Volcano grumbling and exploding behind. While we were there we met a lady who spoke very good english. She had learned to speak english in NZ, she had been there for the past three years working. Assuming the tiny little girl she held was her first baby I asked her about it. She said no she had five pikininis. Her oldest was about seven or eight she said. She asked if they were with her. She said no she left them with her mother to tend while she was gone. I asked her why she went. She said it was so that she could earn the vatu so her little children and I am assuming other village children could go to school. She said it is so very hard and many of the villagers wish to send their children but have no way. In this village, there is absolutely no way to earn any vatu unless they send away their people. Her story is so familiar to many of the people here. 

Off to Tanna

I am leaving to Tanna sunday morning! I think everything is ready and I am so excited! Thanks to everyone who has helped with the project. I'll post updates about how to project is going when ever I can! I can't wait to share the pictures and stories of the kids you have all been helping!

What could you buy for the price of a pizza?

Lenekal Primary school

For the price of a pizza you could send a child to school for a semester.  An excerpt from the ONG submission for the Universal Periodic Review of the Republic of Vanuatu states,  “Parents not being able to afford fees” has been underscored in our survey as one of the most common reason why children do not attend primary school and are not able to progress on to secondary school. Students report paying on average 1000vt ($10) to 5000vt ($50) per term in primary school (grade K-6) and 20 000vt ($200) to 25 000vt ($250) in secondary school(grade 6-12). Secondary school fees usually include the cost of boarding. These fees would be typical for both state and private secondary schools."   About 76% percent of children go to Primary school and only 20-30% of those children move on to Secondary school.

In most the rural areas the Ni-Van people make very little to no money making the price of $10-$50 dollars a huge amount to pay, and then making secondary school almost impossible. For the price we pay for a pizza we could send a child to primary school. 

Painting for Poverty postcards

There has been a great response so far to our appeal for funds.  In the last week we have had money donated for enough art supplies for one classroom for a semester.  Even more exciting, we have more than half the amount needed to pay for one child to attend school for a year.  Thank you for all those who have given to this cause, and for those who have expressed a desire to help but haven't yet donated.  We've made it easier for you to give by installing a donate button. 100% of funds go directly to Painting for Poverty, to use for art supplies and  funding children's education. As a thank you we would like to send a postcard featuring one of our paintings and one of the children's stories.  Thanks!

What we are doing!

Hey! In 6 weeks I am going down to Tanna Island and will be there for over 2 months! I am bringing a suitcase full of paints, sketch books, pencils, paintbrushes, and a camera, everything I need to teach children art and allow them the freedom to creatively express themselves. I will be going into villages and schools taking pictures of their art and teaching art classes. I will be working with the minister of education and Principal of Lenekal Primary School to find our first child to sponsor and set up an application process for future children.

Back home I will be bringing pictures and originals to sell to pay for the childrens schooling as well as help raise awareness. We will be using their art as well as collaborating with other artists here that would like to donate their art to the cause. We will be making the art into post cards and prints to sell. You can help by buying the art, donating your own art, donating art supplies for the children and sharing this with all your friends that might be interested!

The Tanna island Project!

  Hi! My Name is Shaina Leavitt. I am the founder of Painting for Poverty, a non-profit organization that helps put children through school on the small island of Tanna, in the country of Vanuatu (a small group of island’s in the middle of the South Pacific). Two years ago I lived on Tanna, teaching in the school and working in the hospital. After living there I went off to university but could not get the students I had worked with and the island people I had grown to love so much off my mind. Here I was at a great university with so many classes and opportunities open to me,  and yet there were people with just as much passion for learning as me that did not even have the means to go through primary school. It was sometime in my first semester at school I started thinking of the idea of Painting for Poverty.  That was about a year ago and now I am actually doing it.   I am going back to Tanna to start the program!

The mission of Painting for Poverty is two fold, to provide the means of education for children in developing countries and to help people in 1st world countries be able to see the diversity of the world. We are using art to raise awareness as well as money to fund the children's education. 

I presented this idea at the Empower your Dreams Business competition at my University and received 2nd place!  Since then I have wrote and rewrote this idea and am excited to go down to Tanna and put it into  action. I know from living there before that this adventure will be full of  stories and crazy things so stay tuned. I am not really a blog person but I have come to terms that blogging is probably the best way to document this project, so I have become  a blogger! So keep track of us, look at our pictures and artwork and pass this on to anyone else that will be interested in our project. If you want to help, contact me! And your ideas will be most welcome.

Mahalo!

shaina