Project MARC
Reaching out to forgotten island communities by sharing our resources, time and love to help create a future for all children
What are we doing & why
History
Rivendel II's Exploratory Vanuatu Voyage;
"The birth of Project MARC"
July 4th, 2000, Espiritu Santo (Vanuatu):
This morning Rivendel II, our faithful 43 foot staysail-sloop with her battle-wary crew of 4 (skipper Henk, co-skipper Nelleke and able-bodied seamen Andris and Dror) has finally reached a safe harbor! After 15 days plus nights at sea and 1500 nautical miles of close-hauled sailing against the tradewinds we make landfall in Luganville, capital of Espiritu Santo island in Vanuatu (meaning "land eternal"), the former British/French Condominium of the New Hebrides. As soon as we have completed the ritualized dance with Health, Agriculture, Customs and Immigration inspectors we drop the hook near small Aore island. Half a decade ago, in the Sea of Cortez (Mexico) a local Espiritu Santo island was one of Rivendel's favorite anchorages. After the many challenges we faced it is meaningful to us to set foot on another Island of the Holy Spirit.
Our "wrong way" passage from Queensland (Australia) to Vanuatu across the Great Barrier Reef, the Northern part of the Coral Sea and, finally, the Sea of Vanuatu, has been a BIG challenge because we were sailing against contrary trade-winds and ocean currents. However, except for one violent thunderstorm we encountered nothing over 30 knots this time. After mild seasickness for most of us, we all started to feel well and get into the rhythm of our watches. Rivendel II performed extremely well, going straight against the wind, more often than not in heavy seas, and we felt very safe.
Rivendel's Vanuatu 2000 Voyage
Close-hauled in the Trades
No ocean passage is ever without systems breaking down and this one was no exception. Under heavy conditions we had to repair the entire sewage hose system, a very messy , dirty job, especially when performed at a strong heel in heavy seas (those of you who are sailors will understand!). Halfway the trip the alternator broke down. Henk was able to replace it with a lower capacity one, but it once again forced me to give up using the freezer.... Crew members Andris and Dror tried to catch fish, but - apart from 1 small dorado - were not too successful. However, we did not go hungry. Next we developed a problem with the transmission which left us with only limited use of the engine (problem not yet diagnosed or solved).
We are spending a week in Luganville, where most people have converted to Christian religions and adopted Western dress (a torn T-shirt and shorts or a skirt), though older women wear traditional dresses with lots of colorful ribbons and some older men wear next to nothing, just a loin cloth to cover their private parts. Here we also meet other cruising couples, many from Europe. This is especially nice for me, finally some other women to talk to. After two months of living with three men, I am starved for some "women talk". The absolute highlight of this week is our dive on the "President Coolidge", a giant American troopship that sunk in Luganville Harbor in WW II when it hit a US mine. The Coolidge is often called the world's #1 wreck for advanced recreational scuba divers.
Rivendel II finally at anchor...
Nelleke in the Luganville market
Since we have received no further news from Tuvalu and the situation in Fiji appears to have worsened we sail from Espiritu Santo to Malekula, one of the least visited islands in Vanuatu and, alas, prime malaria territory. We stock up on mosquito nets, malaria pills, long sleeved clothing and repellent, but since this is the "dry" season the mosquito density turns out to be minimal.
For one week we daysail from one remote bay to another. As soon as we anchor the local people come out in their dugout (hollowed tree trunk) canoes to bring us gifts of papayas, bananas and grapefruits or they come to trade. They ask for T shirts but also for fishing line, rope, matches (they call them "fire sticks"), or candy. In one case we trade a spare dive mask and a snorkel for a hike in a tiny dugout canoe and a big, tasty coconut crab. After this spontaneous happening , always with many smiles and sometimes great talks (in English or in French), we usually go on land with the dinghy and first pay our respects to the chief of the village in order to ask his permission to set foot on his beach, village or island. Most chiefs speak English and when they don't, the local teacher or pastor will usually act as translator.
Dugout canoes near Atchin island
Rivendel's bounty of traded fruits
The most highly populated place we visit is Atchin, a tiny round island. The chief is a bit grouchy, although he lightens up when Henk offers him a stainless steel tool and a newspaper . The island is neatly divided (by barbed wire and large stones) into four sections. Each of these sections has its own language, spoken only by one tribe (the 68 inhabited islands of Vanuatuhave no fewer than 126 tribal languages)! Also, each section of Atchin has its own chief, its own religion (depending on which missionary arrived first) and its own second language (English or French; depending on the dominant religion). Catholics, Seventh Day Adventists, Presbyterians and Assembly of God live peacefully together here. When I ask how many people live on the island, the teacher answers: "About two thousand big ones, we don't count the little ones...".
In beautiful Banan Bay, south of Atchin, we attend a local dance performance. This stands out as a truly fantastic experience. The dances are original and performed for us with such a sincerity and pride that it deeply touches us. First the men dance four very complicated dances. The women and the children 's dances are much simpler but very convincing and original . The children are adorable. All of them want to touch me, hold my hand and especially touch my long blond hair which makes them laugh. They love the balloons and other small gifts that I bring them.
Little beach-combers in Banan Bay
Women and children dancing
In all the villages we visit the lack of medical and educational facilities and supplies is obvious. Most of these places do not have highly trained nurses, let alone doctors, or teachers. A nine year old little boy walks with me on the beach . I ask him what he has learned in school. He answers in surprisingly good English: "reading, writing English and match". So I ask him to carry out some additions for me, which he proudly does (only under ten). Then I ask him to subtract 4 from 9. He looks at me and says: "teacher doesn't know that..."
After one week of visiting Malekula we arrive in Port Vila and are lucky to obtain a mooring (a floating buoy) from the Vanuatu Yacht Club. We have had a few incredibly wonderful weeks and are completely rested and recovered from the strenuous crossing. Upon arrival in Port Vila we are able to check our e-mail and learn that, on top of the bad situation in Fiji, the TIMES project has now become hopelessly stalled in Tuvalu because of political disagreements between high ranking government officials.........
Although Henk and I are both convinced that in the future things will settle down and the opportunity to help Tuvalu will arise again we are also painfully aware of the fact that our TIMES volunteers, facilities and relief goods have been ready to go for some time now. Consequently, we feel that we need to find a new South Pacific island location to get started, if not in 2000 then at least in 2001. Thus, we decide to pay a visit to the Ministry of Health in Vanuatu. Luckily, we find an immediate enthusiasm from the officials in charge of the Department of Community Health Services and additional meetings with senior government officials are tentatively planned during the first week of August.
Since the Director of Community Health here in Vanuatu has suggested that several hard-to-reach islands could benefit from the envisaged project (centered around the use of vessel-based, mobile medical facilities) we intend to visit some of these islands during the next two weeks. Though we lack detailed marine charts, Ambrym (with an active volcano) and Pentecost Island (where bungee jumping was invented in the form of "land diving"!) will probably be the choices.
Sunset in Port Vila's anchorage
Fenced-off girl's school in Port Vila
On July 23d we set out to visit the islands of Pentecost, Ambrym and Malekula. After a fast overnight passage from Port Vila to Pentecost island, we fail to spot suitable landfalls along the eastern shore which is nearly impossible to reach over land for lack of any roads and airstrips. However, this rugged coast is incredibly beautiful and reminds us of the Napali Coast in Kauai. We feel very privileged to see this. An attempt to anchor on the West side of the island, also fails: just when we are ready to anchor at dusk, our engine gives out and we have to bail out, back to the open sea! We spend the night "hove to" (a position where genoa and rudder oppose each other and boat speed decreases dramatically) and decide in the morning to continue to the small island of Vao, on the East coast of Malekula and close to Atchin.
The population of Vao counts about 1000 people ("big ones only") and is mostly Catholic and French speaking. As soon as we are anchored, a multitude of canoes comes out to greet us. A group of adult males show us around the island; The women work, go out to trade in their canoes, take care of the household and the children and carry heavy loads of firewood, bananas and vegetables on their back and the males mostly "hang out". They are very proud of their church. A large church with hand-made benches, a hand-carved cross with Jesus and, to my astonishment, a large carving of the Virgin Maria standing in a dugout canoe.
In Vao I visit one of the medical dispensaries. Schools are closed for the summer holidays, but I see building and classrooms. What a painful difference with our well equipped schools and hospitals! The dispensary is "manned" by nurse Lina, also the midwife. There is not a single pill in the whole building, leave alone any bandages, band aids and so on.... We are able to leave her with a small supply of our ship's stores, our malaria pills and an otoscope that she asks for. Unpacking a large bottle of Tylenol, I am immediately surrounded by people who are almost tearing the bottle out of my hands. They have tooth aches, belly aches, their kids or wives are in pain and to convince me they show the sore tooth or even want me to come look at their wife......
Freshly painted (but nearly empty) "dispensary"
A last farewell from Pauline
It is gut-wrenching to think of the large supply of medication stuck in our Salt Lake City warehouse.... When I tell Lina of the project and that we are negotiating with the government, she throws her arms up in despair and cries: "who cares about the government, we need your help!" Also, it is hard to leave, we have made so many friends in a few days. There are tears in my eyes when we sail out of Vao and a girl named Pauline begs: "Nelleke, I love you, promise you come back..."
The next island we sail to is named Ambrym and has a big active volcano; last eruption in 1929. We anchor in the Northern part, near Ranon. Like the east coast of Pentecost island,North Ambrym has no airstrip and cannot be reached over land. We land the dinghy on the black sand beach and introduce ourselves to Chiefs Tokon Sam and Pone from Ranon and, after a beautiful beach walk, to Chief Joseph from Ranvetlam.
Rivendel II in Ranon's anchorage
Tam-tams on Ambrym
Chief Tokon Sam, who also is chairman of the regional Lolihor Development Council, is immediately interested in our project and in no time (they still use tam-tams although mostly for their traditional dances) he organizes a meeting, attended by four chiefs and Nurse Practitioner Joseph. I am the only woman in this meeting and Henk and I are the only ones sitting in chairs. The meeting is in Bislama and takes a long time. They ask Henk to explain the project and Joseph translates into Bislama. At the end of the meeting Dr. Joseph proudly presents the results to us: "Yes, they want the program" (and also "my" educational program). The sooner the better and, if the government is not interested they want us to come anyway.. Sometimes, the Chief says philosophically, you have to let the needs of the people prevail. And by the way, the thing they need most is a whole new health center (i.e. large, regional dispensary), right here in Ranon! 
Fire wood bearers on Ambrym's black beach
Group of villagers in Ranvetlam
Of course, it is easy to understand this need after seeing the dispensary here: a shack with no light, no water and absolutely nothing in it... nothing... Nurse Alice gives me a list of what is needed and asks shyly if, maybe, I have another pair of reading glasses: she can't read the list... I give her my glasses; I have another pair on the boat. 
Following nurse Alice thru the rain forest
Nelleke's birthday surprise: a pig roast!
The next day we visit the present health center in Nobul, operated by NP Joseph. It is raining cats and dogs when we motor in our dinghy, half an hour along the coast and then half an hour of walking through a slick but beautiful rain forest. The week before, the Director of Community Health in Port Vila informed us of these health clinics on each island. And there it is..... a few medications and a few bandages, even a thermometer and a blood pressure meter, but no water, no electricity and no fridge (meaning: no vaccins)... Two rusty beds and a scale complete the inventory of the leaky building. There is a big radio antenna mast outside, constructed by Australian volunteers in the early nineties. However, the radio itself is long gone. We are able to leave some of our ship's supplies and medications here and Henk repairs two otoscopes that are out of commission. 
NP Joseph's "clinic" in Nabul
Henk repairs an otoscope
It is here on Ambrym that I celebrate my 59th birthday. I had expected to skip it since there are no stores on Ambrym, leave alone a restaurant. However, our two crew members are very secretive all day and tell me not to cook. Around seven o'clock I am transported by dinghy in the dark to the shore. Here they have prepared a feast for me that I will never forget. The whole local population has been in on the surprise. In a small shelter they have prepared a table and a chair for me, decorated with flowers and leaves. Outside, over a fire, they have roasted a small pig... they have brought taro roots, papayas, bananas, eggplants, coconut milk to drink and even a freshly baked loaf of bread. For desert we have my "boatbaked" Dutch apple pie. Sharing this wonderful local food with our Ambrym friends, makes this the best birthday I ever had!
Our visit here is concluded with a Sunday worship in the church (here it is Presbyterian). We have to walk for more than a hour over a steep trail through the lush rain forest. This must have been how the garden of Eden looked; words fail to describe this beauty! The church is built at the top of the hill ( elevation 300 meter) and looks out over the ocean. The women share their songbooks with me and singing in Bislama makes me feel one of them.
The Presbyterian church in Fanrereo
Was Ambrym the garden of Eden....?
That same day Chief Tokon Sam presents us with a letter of support for the Ministry of Health in Port Vila which touches us deeply. I have included the text:
Dear Sir,
Follem programme blong Americans Mobil Clinic, Lolihor Develoment Counsils mo ol chifes ol agree blong talem se programme blong Americans Mobil Clinic bambae i stap long area blong Lolihor, location hani Ranon.
Reasons hemi from:
1. Health fasilitie i poor tumas
2. Lack of finans ( I nogat money blong to tekem treatment long Vila or Santo)
3. Problem blong transport
4. I nogat airport
5. Bad weather
Wetem five reasons ya,result blong meeting we i stap dedei saturday 29/7/2000 Lolihor Development Counsil wetem ol chife i askem strong long yu olsem Director blong Rural Health Development blong consisteren agens request blong mifala ol`pipol blong Lolihor.
Thank yu long koperanesen blong yu.
Tokon Sam, Chairman LDC (Lolehor Development Corporeation).
(note: Bislama is a mix of English -- more or less written as you pronounce it --, French and local tribal languages. Blong means "for", also "of". Lolihor is the name of the district. Long means "to".)
After one week on Ambrym we are all a bit depressed to have to weigh anchor and head for the Maskelyne Islands, an enchanted but treacherous maze of bluegreen coral reefs (with intimidating white breakers), bright yellow sand banks and small green islands off the SE corner of Malekula. Fortunately, we do have fairly detailed charts (traded for our Australian charts with a sailor heading the other way) and, in fact, already stopped in the Maskelynes during our first week in Malekula.
Avokh Island (Maskelynes): women with children
men with lobster traps
This time we are very lucky that one of the highest chiefs of Peskarus, the largest village in the Maskelyne Islands, decides to approach us in his sailing canoe to ask us if we want to buy wood carvings. The chief's canoe is one of the last and biggest sailing canoes left in Vanuatu and Andris, who has traveled all over the world to study wooden boat building, is ecstatic about the chance to finally sail one of these. Although we are unable to visit Peskarus because of Rivendel's deep draft, the chief makes us promise to do so next year if we are coming back with the envisaged, shallow draft catamaran clinic.....
Andris gets to sail the chief's canoe!
The sail back to Efate island turns out to be a tough one: 25/30 knots of wind, right on the nose, so this passage takes us twice as long as the first time. Small price to pay though for all we have experienced. Hard to believe that barely 5 weeks have gone by since we made landfall in Vanuatu!
(August 8th, Port Vila, Efate Island)
We have just returned from a successful meeting with a group of managing directors of the Department of Health in Port Vila. We have spent two weeks visiting the remote areas suggested by the Health Department and studying the logistics of each area and came to the meeting well prepared and with a wealth of useful information. During these two weeks we have converted the project, designed for Tuvalu, to the needs, wants and possibilities in Vanuatu. We have renamed the project MARC (Medical Assistance to Remote Communities) and will weave the educational aspect in later, when we have also had a chance to visit schools and make contact with Ministry of Health officials. Henk has done a great job in writing a new, adapted, proposal which was received in a positive manner this morning and triggered a lively discussion.
A week ago we have said farewell to our two crew members Andris and Dror, they have found a boat delivery to Indonesia and Henk and I are looking forward to have some time together! Although the situation in Fiji is far from stabilized, fellow cruisers have assured us that the Lautoka area is at the moment safe. A few days from now Henk and I will sail Rivendel II to Lautoka in Fiji, one more "wrong way" passage against the trades. The crossing should not take more than a week if the weather cooperates.
We both have new energy from all the love and friendship we have found and feel strongly about the new Project MARC. Moroever, as the people on the islands made us promise, we will come back in 2001. Even if getting the official MOU (Memorandum Of Understanding) from the central Government might take longer than anticipated, we should be able to focus on what can be done here and now, with relatively simple means plus the support of the local governments.
This has been a very, very challenging but also incredibly rewarding year!
Nelleke (and Henk) Meuzelaar
Project MARC directors/coordinators
Project MARC Movies
The MARC@WORK movies on this webpage were produced by Peter Brouwer and Sylvia Steinert from video footage shot while traveling with Project MARC volunteer teams in September of 2005.
