Update: This campaign has now closed. Read more about the project that it helped fund.

In April last year Cyclone Harold tore through the island of Espiritu Santo, causing significant damage to schools and communities. This end of financial year, help us replace damaged and lost resources so the students of Santo can continue to access effective learning!

Compulsory education in Vanuatu only applies to the first 6 years of primary schooling. A further four years of junior secondary and three years of senior secondary is available to students, however, most conclude their education at the end of primary school and enter the workforce with very limited literacy and numeracy skills. Education is not available at all in some remote villages of Vanuatu.

Literacy and numeracy form the basis of our learning. They are required to learn other skills, as well as for participation in everyday life. Literacy and numeracy skills underpin workforce participation, productivity and the broader economy, and can also impact on social and health outcomes.

Although basic literacy and numeracy skills are improving in Vanuatu (ranked 50th in the world), education remains costly with classrooms often overcrowded and critically under resourced. Student retention is a significant challenge with only 43% of students continuing their education to secondary level.

In partnership with Read Pacific and the Ministry of Education the MJF is working to support Vanuatu’s desperately under resourced education system to provide quality, new and culturally appropriate resources that can be used in the classroom to enhance learning. The MJF is also committed to listening to the needs of local schools and teachers to ensure that the resources supplied will be used extensively in Vanuatu classrooms.

As the end of financial year approaches, you can reduce your taxable income, and at the same time make a lasting difference to those in need.

You can pledge to donate a single book, a handful, an entire pack or even two!

We are deeply grateful for any donations we receive.

Tangkyu tumas!