NEWSPAGE 11 December
2009

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NEW ZEALAND: Barbershop quartet takes on the world

(Photo: TVNZ ONE News)

SAMOA: Kiwi volunteers help rebuild Samoan fales
Source: TVNZ ONE News

The generosity of the human spirit is helping heal the wounds of those devastated by the tsunami in Samoa.

An example of this goodwill is a group of Kiwi volunteers from charity Habitat for Humanity, who are helping to rebuild 275 fales for families that lost homes in the tragedy.

The Samoan government is paying for the materials, while the charity is providing the free labour.

One of the places expected to benefit is the village of Saleaumua, which until now has been living in the shadow of the tsunami.

But now the twisted ruins are about to be rebuilt for the people who live there.

Murray Pinkerton from Habitat for Humanity says a lot of volunteers from the charity wanted to help immediately after the tsunami devastated Samoa.

"That's the least we should do to help these people," he says.

The volunteer teams of 10 include carpenters, electricians and builders from around New Zealand.

Every team goes to the island for two weeks and pay all of their own costs.

For Saleaumua villager Maiseava Fogavai, who lost everything, the volunteers are a "God-send".

"The people make the gifts for Samoa and I just say thank you," says Fogavai.

But the workers say they are the ones being rewarded, working alongside the people they have come to help is a real partnership.

Also wanting to give something back are Kerry and Lynne Martin from Matamata who lost their two daughters, Rebecca and Petria, in the tsunami.

They are donating the money for two fales.

Habitat for Humanity volunteer David Lawson says his commitment to the Martins is to provide photos and information on the building of those two fales.

"(I can) say, well, this is what has been done in the memory of your two girls who were killed here," Lawson says.

Photo Caption: A Kiwi Habitat for Humanity volunteer in Samoa.
 

(Photos: J. Kneubuhl / ASCC English Language Institute)

AMERICAN SAMOA: ASCC ELI Department continues tsunami relief efforts
Source: American Samoan Community College Press Release

During Thanksgiving week, tsunami-affected students in the English Language Institute (ELI) at the American Samoa Community College (ASCC) received bags containing food, school supplies, clothing and other useful items through a combined effort of the College and concerned off-island organizations. ELI identified a total of 63 students within its classes who had suffered significant losses as a result of the September 29th disaster, and in its effort to provide relief to these students ELI received support from the Service Learning Center at the University of Hawaii, and the Community College National Center for Community Engagement (CCNCCE) based in Mesa, Arizona.

Soon after the disaster, ASCC administrators formed the Tsunami Campus Outreach Committee, led by Vice President of Student and Academic Affairs Dr. Kathleen Kolhoff and Dean of Academic Affairs Dr. Irene Helsham. The committee, which included ELI Chairperson Mrs. Elisapeta Faalafi-Jones, focused on keeping tsunami victims from having to withdraw from the College due to mitigating circumstances. Faalafi-Jones took responsibility for the students in her department, while others looked after students in the upper level classes.

“Our main focus was to provide textbooks and supplies for the students,” explained Faalafi-Jones, who also serves as the College’s Service Learning Coordinator. She first set up an account at the ASCC LeBookstore under Service Learning for ELI to purchase necessary textbooks at half price for tsunami victims. Allocating almost $1000 from her Service Learning account, Faalafi-Jones made sure that the affected students had their textbooks within a week. She also purchased school supplies for 63 affected students out of her own pocket. “Forsgren’s gave me a discount on materials because they were for tsunami victims,” she recalled.

To offset the expenditure on the textbooks, Faalafi-Jones received assistance from the CCNCCE, whose Executive Director Lyvier Conss has visited American Samoa to observe the progress of Service Learning programs. The CCNCCE offers extensive Service Learning and civic engagement resources to a membership located across the nation, and in the wake of the American Samoa disaster issued an appeal to its broad constituency. “As a usual practice of this organization, members donate to disaster areas either during the yearly conference or other appropriate time. Previously, we members donated to Alabama Community College after Hurricane Katrina,” explained Faalafi-Jones. Conss also personally sent a box of school bags to assist the ELI students.

Faalafi-Jones works closely with the Service Learning Center at the University of Hawaii, and its Executive Director Atina Pascua and State Network Director Denise Pierson have also traveled to American Samoa on several occasions. Pascua and Pierson have sent 16 boxes of bags and supplies for ASCC tsunami victims, which at this writing are still on their way to the Territory. In the meantime, ELI students themselves also made substantial donations of food and clothing to their affected classmates.

“Like everywhere else on island after the devastation, the ELI academic program was disrupted,” reflected Faalafi-Jones, “but the urgent response from our friends and our own students calmed the situation and assisted our victims with their needs. Now as we approach the end of the semester, our students can concentrate on completing this year. It has not been easy, but ‘O le tele o lima e mama ai se avega’. Many hands and heads make our work easier.”

For more information on the CCNCCE, visit their webpage at http://www.mc.maricopa.edu/other/engagement/

The University of Hawaii Service Learning Center also has a very informative webpage at: http://www.hawaii.edu/servicelearning/

Photo Captions:

Photo 1 - ASCC English Language Institute Chairperson Elisapeta Faalafi-Jones (right) distributes school supplies to students affected by the tsunami at a ceremony during Thanksgiving week.

Photo 2 - ASCC English Language Institute instructor Siamaua Ropeti (left) distributes school supplies to a student affected by the tsunami at a ceremony during Thanksgiving week.
 
Photo 3 - ASCC English Language Institute (ELI) Chairperson Elisapeta Faalafi-Jones (left) and Dean of Academic Affairs Dr. Irene Helsham display the books and schools supplies made available to ELI students affected by the tsunami.

Photo 4 - At a ceremony during Thanksgiving week, faculty and students of the ASCC English Language Institute (ELI) gather around the food, books and school supplies made available to ELI students affected by the tsunami.
 

FIJI: Fiji welcomes China's assistance in firefighting
Source: China View

The Fiji National Fire Authority (NFA) said Wednesday the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with China was a good news for Fiji as China would bring in a higher level of professionalism in the area of rescue operations and fire fighting to the region.

The MOU was signed by NFA and the Fire Bureau of the Chinese Ministry of Public Security in Beijing to advance their services for the people of the island nation during emergencies.

The relationship between the NFA and the China Fire Department was first established in 2007. This bilateral relationship was taken to another level following successful discussions in finalizing a MOU earlier in the year.

The MOU strengthens the cooperation and exchanges for fire fighting and emergency rescue in major areas of cooperation and assistance.

It includes the area of regular exchange between bilateral senior fire officers.

It also means the provision of technical assistance to NFA for fire fighting equipment and attendance of seminars or exhibition regarding exercises as well as training between China and Fiji.

Fiji Ambassador to China James Ah Koy said, "The MOU paves the way for long term assistance in many areas and will result in technical assistance and capacity building to the Fiji Fire Service by China. This is a great outcome and achievement for Fiji and the NFA."

NFA Chairman John Low acknowledged the great support and assistance from the Chinese government, the Chinese Embassy in Fiji and the Fiji Embassy in Beijing and said that "NFA looks forward to working together with the Chinese government in taking NFA's operational capability to new heights."
 

(Photos: Secretariat of the Pacific Community)

NEW CALEDONIA: Tilapia - fish of the future for Pacific aquaculture?
Source: Secretariat of the Pacific Community Press Release

Representatives from the Pacific have this week heard from international experts that fish farming of tilapia - the ‘aquatic chicken’ - has reached incredible levels approaching 3 million tonnes and US $5 billion in sales annually worldwide. The statement was made at a meeting in Noumea organised by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community’s Aquaculture Programme.

In the United States, tilapia is among the top five seafoods sold. Its firm, white, mildly flavored fillets have been successfully marketed for home cooking or fine restaurant dining as having ‘not unlike the culinary versatility of chicken,’ according to Professor Kevin Fitzsimmons, former President of the American Tilapia Association.

Although all tilapia species originate from Africa, most farmed tilapia are produced in China and other Asian countries along with Egypt and the Americas. Despite its increasing popularity, however, the price paid to farmers has stayed the same while production costs, such as for feed, have risen. This is a worrying trend warns Professor Sena De Silva, Director General of the Network of Aquaculture Centers in Asia-Pacific.

In comparison, tilapia output from the Pacific region is negligible. In 2007, the region harvested only around 300 tonnes of farmed Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), mostly from Fiji.

There has since been rapid uptake of the opportunity. Paul Ryan farms red hybrid tilapia in Vanuatu and sells up to 2.5 tonnes a week. He is already planning to increase this amount.

The most dramatic trend is seen in Papua New Guinea with its large inland population. According to Mr Peter Minimulu of the National Fisheries Authority, there are around 20,000 fish farmers now estimated to be producing 10,000 tonnes of fish annually. (Previously, there was a scarcity of data for PNG tilapia production.)

Unfortunately for aquaculture prospects, the main species of tilapia found in the Pacific region is the Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus). The stock originating from the small handful of adult fish introduced 60 years ago ‘has lost most of its exploitable levels of genetic variation and so is unlikely to respond positively to any stock improvement programme,’ according to Professor Mather, a geneticist based at Queensland University of Technology. Moreover, Mozambique tilapia is now widespread and associated with declines in native species, says Aaron Jenkins from Wetlands International.

The SPC Aquaculture Expert Consultation, Future directions for tilapia in the Pacific, is being held at SPC headquarters in Noumea. The objective is to seek regional direction to support sustainable and profitable farming of tilapia in Pacific Island countries and territories. The workshop concludes today.

Photo Captions:

Photo 1 - Nile Tilapia harvested in Fiji.

Photo 2 - Red Tilapia harvested in Vanuatu.
 

WORLDWIDE: Pacific will not stand by and watch countries negotiate their suicide
Source: Greenpeace Press Release

Greenpeace has applauded Tuvalu for its strong calls for a legally binding treaty at the UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen.

The demand from Tuvalu resulted in a suspension of the Conference of the Parties (COP) plenary session until the issue could be resolved.

Greenpeace, Pacific Political Advisor Seni Nabou said this suspension concerns one of the most important questions of Copenhagen, the matter of whether or not the outcome will be legally binding. "For the vulnerable countries in our region, like Tuvalu, it is about survival. It’s about whether the rest of the world is serious about stopping climate change. Only a legally binding agreement can give Pacific island countries the confidence that their future is guaranteed,” she said.

Ms Nabou said the only acceptable outcome from these climate talks must be a legally binding treaty that countries can take home and pass into law through their parliaments.
“Without this the talks risk being nothing more than a photo opportunity,” she said.

Ms Nabou said this is perhaps just the beginning of the vigour that the Pacific Islands will display at the negotiations.
“The Pacific wants an outcome from Copenhagen that will ensure our future and security as sovereign island nations is protected. We need to fight for our survival and cannot walk away from Copenhagen with a suicide pact.”