2008-02-06 09:07:30 -
YouMe Support Foundation today announced the launch of a unique, world first fund raising project. In the next few months a boutique resort, in the South Pacific, will be given away to a lucky winner, along with a tax-free income. YouMe Support Foundations, partnering with winaresort.com. will give away Seachange Lodge, a boutique resort in Port Vila, in the South Pacific archipelago nation of Vanuatu.
YouMe Support Foundation provides non-repayable higher-education grants for students, who are geographically and economically underprivileged. Children who will never go to high school without help.
Mr Harris Apos, the Banks Area Secretary said,
"Unless we get outside help, our high achieving students will will never realize their dreams of becoming a school teacher, doctor, pilot, or nurse. Our area gets no government assistance".
One exercise book is shared between three pupils and school rooms are often non-existent. Pencils are broken into three. Fully qualified teachers are not always available and many parents cannot read or write.
Rick and Wendy Tendys, proprietors of Seachange Lodge, said, "They really appreciate the guests who, since 2004, have helped provide desperately needed school supplies for these communities".
Recently, a cyclone struck the island community. The village chiefs appealed to the government for help. They were told: "We will look into it, but there are no funds in the budget for such natural disasters". This seems a very odd statement in a land where cyclones are a fact of life.
In July 2006, Vanuatu , made famous by A. Michener's Tales of the South Pacific, was ranked as the world's Happiest Country on Earth, by the British New Economics Foundation's (NEF), ‘Happy Planet Index'. Yet, without outside assistance, these communities are left to battle on their own.
You can assist through the raffle at
seachangelodge.com. Participants will get an Early Bird Buyer chance to win $1000 cash and still enter the Super Draw for Seachange Lodge resort.
More information is available on
youmesupport.org;
winaresort.com and
www.seachangelodge.com 
