News Release

Mormon Young Adults Plunge into Community Clean-up

Inspired at a sunrise devotional at Mele Beach, fuelled by a hearty breakfast of the Mele delicacy Tuluk, a  large group of enthusiastic young adults from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints plunged into a riverside clean-up last weekend.

They divided into 10 groups of 10 volunteers equipped with garbage bags, gloves, shovels and wheelbarrows.

Each group, directed by a leader from the Church’s Mele congregation, scoured the river banks of two rivers that run on the side of Mele, the biggest village in Vanuatu, with a population over 4,000 people.  

Their task for the day was to clear the rubbish piled up alongside the rivers by the villagers.

“I know that the village people will be happy for this kind service,” said Raul Serveux, a Church leader and village resident working with the volunteers.

The scope of the task and the amount of rubbish bagged was substantial.

“We are happy we can clear this rubbish. It’s sad that some villagers are not aware of the consequences of improper dumping,” said one young man.

 “I hope that this will be an eye-opener for the people in the village,” said volunteer Sereima Kaun.

  

After all the rubbish was cleared, collected and loaded on a truck hired by the Church, it was deposed of properly.  

The volunteer service was part of the 3-day Young Single Adult conference Port Vila Church leaders organized for their unmarried Church members ages 18 to 30.

Conferences of this kind, held throughout the world, create opportunities for attendees to socialize together, be fed spiritually and follow the teachings of Jesus Christ by serving others. 

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