Help us build a Nature School in Vanuatu

Each year Laurentine, I and the Food Matters team and community take part in a give back project to acknowledge the extreme fortune and privilege our lives have afforded us. 

This year with Laurentines vision we are launching a campaign to build a Nature School in a local village called Pango in Vanuatu (a remote tropical island in the Pacific Ocean we call home in-between Fiji and Australia). The school will be on a beautiful piece of land with an amazing Bunyan tree (Nambanga in local language) here:

There are two key challenges we wish to help solve. First is lack of employment for local artisans (musicians, artists, farmers and teachers etc..) due to the recent death of the tourism industry and secondly a lack of creative education for children (the schooling system here mainly focuses on reading, writing and arithmetic and many kids can't afford to go to school and just stay home all day) to help create future leaders to solve the biggest problems of our time (environmental pollution, domestic abuse, equality, women's rights, sickness and disease caused by poor nutrition). 

We wish to raise between 35,000  (minimum start up costs) to 50,000 USD (target capital to complete full development) to build a school, stock it with supplies and have capital to employ teachers and pay land leases for 5 years. We have built and maintained profitable multi-million dollar companies for the past 15 years in the health & wellness space and this project will include our Food Matters group VP of finance Peita Ward alongside myself, Laurentine and our group of advisors working with our non-profit group the Food Matters Foundation (Australian entity) to ensure the fiduciary validity of the venture.  

Here are some more details:

Pango Nature School (Green school, Art house, Local food and live music, Living museum, Kava bar & Nature shop)

Mission Statement

- Support the development of arts and culture, with focus on local craftsmanship, music and local food
- Assist artists and musicians, creating opportunities for performances and professional development opportunities
- Maintain a space, a garden where artists can exchange ideas, practice and preform
- A space to promote art education like: workshops for kids on carving and woodworking, music, visual arts, theatre, dance, performing arts and design
- Promoting local fruits and vegetables, raising awareness on nutrition and natural medicine 
- Promoting sustainability and eco living
- Place to hold screenings of films on topics such as clean living, sustainability, nutrition and natural health



Activities:

Weaving
Soap making
Painting with natural dyes
Clay with Teouma clay 
Spoon carving and woodwork with local timber
Sand drawings
Chocolate making
Music with bush instruments and tam tams
Charcoal drawing
Gardening and seed collecting 
Nature art
Food forest tours
Woodwork
Nature art
Music classes
Gardening and green thumb activities
Nutrition - Food as medicine classes


How it will be self sustainable?

Income: 

Kids classes: After school nature education from kids from ex-pat schools (10 x $15= $150 per week or $600 per month)
Adult classes: Special monthly classes and events (6 x $20 = $120 per month)
Local classes: School balcony and material open Monday / Wednesday / Friday from 3pm-5pm for free to village community. 
Average monthly income of $720

Expenses:

Manager = circa $70 per week (two full days and 3 quarter days) - Laurentine to start in this role and train up local managers. To be reviewed over time. ($280 per month)
Teachers = $40 per week plus one extra per month for adult class ($200 per month)
Monthly land rent to Ida (TBD circa $20 per month)
Equipment purchases (circa $100 per month ongoing)
Monthly musical performance (circa $100 per month)
Electricity (solar)
Water (from roof)
Average monthly expenses of $700

Profit / Loss of $20 per month

Initial investment USD $35,000 (circa AUD $47,000)


School building & fit out (USD $30,000+ circa AUD $40,000+) including toilet system and water tank 
Local ground improbvements including fencing, gates, gardens, out-houses, garden beds, road side stall and renovation of existing Nakamal (local building) for new kava and food outlet (USD $5,000+ circa AUD $7000)

Extra funds will go into building improvements, more school and music equipment.

Additional income streams for the local Nambanga community

Fresh produce sales on road
Increased kava sales and rent
Takeaway food stall
Art sales from Nambanga nature shop
Mammas food market