Mormon and other volunteers walked through a river carrying desperately needed food to the people of the remote Vanuatu village of Tisman following heavy rain that destroyed the village’s crops last month.
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Villagers call recent weather “Big Rain,” and it came with a vengeance in April lasting for three weeks. The rains continued until all the crops of the gardens were soaked and inedible.
“Everything I have tried to harvest is rotten,” one villager said.
Due to the remoteness of the village, the destruction of local crops — such as kumala, taro and yam — led to severe hardship for the people.
Mr Katimal Kaun, public affairs director for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Vanuatu, received word of the disaster and immediately called Church humanitarian missionaries based in Vanuatu, Elder and Sister Hinton. The Hintons then contacted Steve Stebbings, who heads up the Church’s welfare and humanitarian services efforts in the Pacific Area, based in Auckland, New Zealand.
“What can be done to help the villagers?” the Hintons asked.
Mr Stebbings and others took action, organizing an emergency food relief project, funded by the donations of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Vanuatu-based missionaries for the Church, Elder and Sister Jolley, along with local Latter-day Saints Anderson Vanu and Eloi Litiemail, went to Tisman to make an assessment of the condition of the people, their buildings and their safety. An assessment was also made by Kevin Niptick, a government representative.
As specific needs were identified and in consultation with government officials, food was acquired and prepared for delivery. The aid comprised sacks of flour and rice, vegetables purchased from local farmers, and other food donated by Vanuatu Latter-day Saints.
The shipment was transported by boat from Santo to Malekula, arriving 19 April. It was then taken in six four-wheel drive trucks across country, including through streams and rivers.
The last river, a mile and a half from the village, needed to be forged on foot. With water up to their waists, volunteers carried 86 sacks of rice and 25 sacks of flour on their shoulders to the other side of the river.
Villagers greeted the volunteers and the food was then distributed among the villagers.
At a village ceremony bringing participants in the project together, village leaders thanked Latter-day Saint and government representatives who brought the desperately needed food to their people.
Church missionary, Elder Hinton, told those in attendance, “We must all work together and care for each other, no matter what faith we belong to.”
The Latter-day Saint volunteers were presented with a live chicken and a hand woven mat as tokens of gratitude from the village leaders.