TALANOA Community Trust
Humanitarian aid
Given the unique social circumstances in Vava'u and the fact that most families have available land to grow food, nobody is suffering from starvation. However, in terms of support for women and solo mothers, people who can’t get work and buy the basic needs, over and above what the can grow, for the elderly and people suffering from disabilities, there is minimal humanitarian aid or relief. The Talanoa Community Trust is active in this area, to date we have been able to receive donated items such as clothes, nappies, shoes, baby milk powder and more. Takako, Loni and Kalo have been able to identify the most needy and deliver necessary supplies directly to the villages, while engaged in this activity they discovered disabled people without wheelchairs, who have limited movement and have to remain indoors. They saw elderly people who suffer from a range of preventable illnesses. One of the most pressing needs that the elderly in Vava'u face is incontinence. They are either unable to afford diapers and wet sheets or simple go without, leaving the sufferer in a position where they feel undignified, disempowered and feel that they have become a burden on their family. The Talanoa Community Trust is working to address this need. Humanitarian aid, relief of poverty and non-judgmental kindness to the poor s at the heart of our mission statement.
In Talanoa Community Trust’s community work we have encountered disabled people with severe handicaps, such as a seventeen year old young woman who has lost the use of her legs and is unable to leave the house or attend church. In another case, a young man with disabled legs who has to resort to crawling and using his arms to mobilise himself. These are but two examples of unnecessary hardships that many others face, that could be addressed by having a wheelchair. It is the Talanoa Trust’s resolve to raise funds to purchase wheelchairs and the necessary equipment to support these handicapped people and give them the means to live a dignified life.
Solo mothers are particularly hard hit in Vava'u. As a result of the covid 19 pandemic, many husbands left their wives to earn money overseas and failed to return, leaving their wives stranded and stressed with the burden of raising several children alone. The families and community help where they can, but the financial strain is often overwhelming, leaving mothers without the means to buy baby milk powder, clothes, diapers or the necessary medication when the child becomes ill. We are actively working to address this problem.
Proposal for a blood type data base for patients at the vavau hospital.
Talanoa Trust has been aware of the chronic shortage of blood in Vavau for patients in need, which often results in severe hardship and unnecessary suffering for people. The trust is proposing to organise a data base of potential donors with their blood types registered and their point of contact, address and phone numbers filed. This service would be of great benefit to Vauau and would relieve suffering and prolong lives, Any support in this endeavour would be welcome. Anyone who would like to register as a donor please contact the trust @
Schools in Vava'u present another unique set of problems. It is compulsory for children to attend school from the age of 5 to 18. However, many of the village schools and high schools lack the necessary facilities and sanitary conditions such as appropriate toilets and hand washing facilities as well as clean drinking water. To date, Takako, Loni and Kalo from the Talanoa Community Trust has worked extensively in this area and renovated toilet blocks and supplied rain water tanks for drinking water. As a trust we are resolved to continue our work in this area of need.
