All I want for Christmas is computers and sewing machines for my school!

As you know I'm serving in the Peace Corps down in Vanuatu in the South Pacific. One of the projects I'm working on is helping a local grassroots vocational school grow and better serve its small community. The school is hoping to add two new courses in 2011, Home Economics and Computer Science. But they can't get enough funds from the local community to buy the supplies they need to expand.

The community has invested a lot in creating this school over the last three years because they see that the many area youth that only go to middle school don't have the skills to succeed. The community has raised funds to create the school, build a two classrooms, buy a computer, and run the school for 3 years but now we need your help. We're trying to raise $1,600 over the Christmas holiday to buy two more computers and three sewing machines so that the students will have what they need to succeed this year.

Christmas is the time to give and think of others. I know a lot of you like to donate to charities in others' names as Christmas presents. So now you can give a donation gift through this secure online donation website run by Peace Corps, plus you have the added benefit of helping out little old me and the assurance that it really will be going directly to a community in need (50% of it won't get lost in logistics of running a big non-profit). So this Christmas show your love to friends, fam, coworkers, strangers, etc. by donating to the Lamap Rural Training Center.

More info on the project

Donate Here!

Meet the students and teachers at the school in this youtube video.



Please try to forward this info to some friends and co-workers. Trust me they won't be annoyed, I know them. They love this sort of thing. Don't make me use scare tactics (If you don't send it to five people right now you will get a paper cut this afternoon, guaranteed;). No but really I need your help to get all these supplies in time fore school next year, so try and pull me some strings gang.

I love you all lots and lots! Have a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Love,
Stephanie

Ambrym Volcano hike

Ok I promise I'll write a proper blog post describing every detail but right now I just arrived in Brisbane and I'm beat so I thought I'd put these videos up. If a picture shows a thousand words then a video must be exponentially better.

Here's the gist: Virginia and I hiked up the volcanic island of Ambrym to visit the twin volcanoes, Benbow and Marum, an 8 hour hike, then we were attacked by tornadoes of poison gas flinging ash around. The guide was walking around with a small child on his shoulders right on the edge of the volcano despite strong winds. We saw lava. It is infinitely more amazing in person than in video I assure you. We camped outside the crater of the volcano. In the morning we walked back to shore and soaked our blistered feet in the hot springs on the beach.