The Tanbok Project

14/09/2026

A message of condolence to all those affected by the MV Matui tragedy. We are horrified with every detail that emerges about what happened on and since the cargo ship, MV Matui, capsized in rough waters between Ambae and Santo on Friday 11th September, taking with it some 40+ passengers and crew members.

We rejoice in all those who have been recovered alive, and revel in the strength of the human spirit that enabled them to keep fighting for so long.

As others have said, we hope against hope that more survivors can be located; and that the loved ones of those who did not make it will eventually get the answers they need.

There are so many layers to this tragedy. We join in commending and thanking all those that have joined with the search and rescue efforts, especially the early responders, while supporting calls for improvements to the shipping industry such as a modern ship tracking service to prevent the kind of uncertainty and delays that thwarted the rescue operation on this occasion.

Our hearts ache in sorrow with all those affected. We hope and pray that some good news may yet emerge.

09/04/2025

If you or someone you know has a passion for writing, check out this wonderful opportunity right away!

17/01/2025

Many of our followers were understandably deeply upset and concerned following the terrible news of the 7.3 earthquake just before Christmas, and responded by generously enquiring how they could donate to support the rescue efforts and rebuilding.

Since we are not currently active in Port Vila, we do not feel it would be appropriate to fundraise on behalf of the earthquake aftermath. In lieu, please take a look at ProRescue Vanuatu, who were absolutely crucial in those early moments and days. Should such horror unfold again, what would make a difference is better equipping this heroic team - and that's exactly what they're fundraising for at present.

Please consider supporting this campaign. Thank you 🙏

https://www.facebook.com/share/19tBZn8k6Q/

Thank you to everyone who donated and helped us reach our first goal—your generosity has made a real difference and means so much to us.

Now, we’re extending our fundraising goal to address a critical need. The most significant improvement that could have made a difference at the Billabong Building would have been having a set of heavy-lift airbags. These airbags cost $22,750 (excluding shipping) when sourced out of Australia, and this has become our new target.

ProRescue plans to obtain other essential shoring equipment, such as cribbing and struts, through alternative means.

However, securing these airbags remains our top priority.

We deeply appreciate the incredible support we’ve received so far. Please rest assured that even if we don’t reach this ambitious target, we are committed to finding the necessary funds to purchase the airbags. This vital equipment will give anyone trapped in a future emergency the best possible chance of survival.

Thank you for helping us make a real impact.

17/12/2024

Today was a dark day in Vanuatu, with many reeling in shock and sorrow. The news looks bad, and there's clearly a great deal not yet known, but we are grateful for all those are safe, all those buildings that did manage to stand strong, and for the fortitude of all those involved in the mammoth rescue operation. We hope tomorrow brings long awaited news of further rescues.

MWT have written this beautiful and informative post about the situation. There's nothing to add except to say to all our friends in Vanuatu that you're in our hearts, and that help is no doubt on the way.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/15Z46LQyut/

24/12/2023

Day 24: Gratitude.

It's the last day of advent, tomorrow it's Christmas; and to end our 'advent calendar' for the year, we would like to pay tribute to all the hard work and generosity of everyone over the years that have enabled us to deliver our projects in Vanuatu, and especially in Tanbok.

From the young Ranwadi students that first brought GAP teachers to Central Pentecost and then Tanbok, to the families and communities that hosted founder Rachel and in turn the team members that followed. To Olfala John, who's passion kept Tanbok school alive, who inspired the project, but who sadly didn't live to see the end. To the chiefs of Tanbok for acting in the interests of the school and always supporting the project.

To Revd Andrew in Wimbledon who said YES to the idea of linking our communities - a congregation in SW London with a small village named Tanbok in the Highlands of Pentecost - and who also didn't live to see the fruition of this move. To said congregation for the tireless fundraising and support even though Tanbok was so far removed from their daily lives. To all the fundraisers who held bake sales, gave talks, wrote articles, rode bikes, ran marathons - all in aid of fundraising.

To everyone who has donated over the years - in money or in gestures. Social currency is such a huge part of the project, but ultimately the bottom line is always financial.

To the charity's trustees in the UK, past and present. For giving your time and insights.

To the communities on Pentecost that have hosted us and helped to build - to Ranwas, and to Tanbok. To CAUKIN studio in the UK for working on the designs and making the projects possible. To the CAUKIN participants for playing your parts and for all your hard work. To our suppliers, for helping navigate complex logistics but helping us prevail in the end. To the ship crews and truck drivers that completed the logistics process. To everyone who's ever 'done us a favour' - they all add up, and they all helped us cross the finish line.

So as we reflect on the end of one chapter, let us hope that we may yet build on these foundations and with the start of a new chapter.

Thankiu tumas and Merry Christmas.

23/12/2023

Day 23: to Tanna! For the Niel and Toka Ceremonies.

This post is undeniably an oversimplification, but what happens at a Tannese Toka Ceremony is so completely and utterly mind blowing that even this meagre post hints at something truly remarkable.

Starting with the Niel ceremony: this is a time when different tribes from Tanna come together in the nakamal for a mass exchange of gifts. This could form a part of all sorts of higher ceremonies, from weddings or reconciliations to the elusive Toka ceremony.

The Toka event spans every tribe on the island, and occurs every 3-4 years when the paramount chiefs deem conditions to be right (taking cues from meteorological and astrological signs), and the stage is set by a Niel ceremony. Then, in the subsequent weeks/months, the Toka can begin - but the exact timing cannot be known in advance. It takes place over several days, and features various stages such as dancing, chanting, story telling, acting performances, gift exchanges, pig killing and feasting. People dress in their finest traditional costume for the occasion - adorned with brightly coloured face paints and head dresses.

The dancing is sustained for hours if not days on end, beginning with the women dancing through the night and the men dancing all day. The crowds are stirred to a frenzied and trance like state through the rousing beating of drums or 'tam tams' and rhythmic chants.

There are hundreds and hundreds of pigs - the apex status symbol - lined up to be killed during the ceremony, and their sacrifice represents a wholesale cleansing of sins. This means that past grievances are forgiven, resulting in total reconciliation and prevailing peace between all tribes. In the past, a Toka might mark the end of a war, but now, knowing that forgiveness is guaranteed and upcoming, all kinds of perhaps questionable and unspeakable deeds may be said or committed in the run up to the Toka. Or so we hear.

As far as we know, no other island of Vanuatu practices anything on such scale that brings together every individual tribe of the island in this way. Tannese culture is fascinatingly rich yet mysterious to the outsider.

22/12/2023

Day 22: Dugongs.

Had to do a bit of research for this one, but dugongs are such unique residents of Vanuatu that we were compelled to feature them.

Also known as Sea Cows, dugongs are the large (sea)grass eating mammals of the sea. They need to eat as much as 40kg of seagrass every day, reaching a size of up to 3m length and 500 kg weight!! This means they are only found in areas with thriving seagrass beds - and Vanuatu has several of these areas: the waters surrounding Aore and East Santo, Crab Bay and the offshore Maskelyne Islands in Malekula, and Lamen Bay in Epi are some top examples.

Unfortunately, dugongs are threatened with extinction, the main drivers being loss of habitat (due to unsustainable fishing practices, pollution and climate change), hunting, accidental catch by fishing nets, and collisions with boats. So their fate is tied to our activities and ability to be the guardians they need.

Vanuatu Environmental Science Society has released much guidance on how we can protect them, even releasing the first ever 3D animation conceived , created and published in Vanuatu: Daisy the Dugong! Watch it here or check it out on Google! https://www.vanuatuconservation.org/daisy-the-dugong-advocates-for-protecting-her-species-in-an-animation-first-for-vanuatu/

You learn something new every day! Photo credits: VESS and Andrew Gray (last one for scale - he's very tall so you can only imagine!)

21/12/2023

Day 21: Red mats.

On Pentecost, red mats are synonymous with currency. They are high value assets that hold their value over time. Red mats and pigs tusks are used as part of the local economy to pay for things like school fees, bride prices, fines and much more. They are also exchanged during important ceremonies, and are worn by chiefs as part of kastom dress. They are hand woven by the women from locally grown pandanus and dyed red using local substances. They are a hallmark part of Pentecost identity. And of course they are also very beautiful.

Here's one of ours all decorated for Christmas (even if that is rather incongruous)

20/12/2023

Day 20: Natongtong, otherwise known as mangroves.

We wanted to give a shout out to the inspiring youth group Learn To Serve Pentecost who are working extremely hard to secure their future prosperity by seeking to combat the impacts of climate change on their villages and coastlines. Recently, they have been busy rearing fruit tree saplings to distribute to communities as part of cyclone recovery and resilience, as well as procuring hundreds of mangrove saplings for a pioneering coastal planting project.

Positive actions like these give us all hope that we can still fight and prevail over climate change. Mangroves are such an important weapon in our arsenal, imparting immeasurable benefits both locally and globally.

Mangroves are native in many tropical and subtropical coastal regions, growing directly in salty water along the coastline. This salt tolerance requires a complex root system, capable of filtering out the salt. In turn, this establishes rigid structure in the sediment rich shores, trapping the nutrients and stabilising the coastline. This creates a unique ecosystem that allows many organisms to thrive - making the coastline more productive and providing food for local communities. Furthermore, established mangrove ecosystems don't just resist coastal erosion, but also protect the land from tsunamis. Therefore, healthy mangrove ecosystems are an important part of resilience to natural disasters - but that's not all. They are also astoundingly good absorbers of carbon, capturing CO2 with their leaves, and physically locking it in with their roots. One hectare of mangrove habitat can absorb as much as 10 tons of CO2 each year, so projects like this actually serve to protect us all.

They are proud to use locally woven pandanus baskets rather than plastic pots or polybags, since these are locally available materials that are strong, yet biocompatible and biodegradable. Most single use plastic is actually banned in Vanuatu, yet they can always find alternatives. Yet another example of Vanuatu's inspiring climate leadership.

We wish them all the best and sincerely hope the planting is a success 🙏🌱

19/12/2023

Day 19: Nalot.

Nalot is a social dish that is prepared on a dedicated nalot table by crushing roasted breadfruit or taro with a smooth green coconut. Once it reaches the desired texture, following a thorough pounding, the coconut can be used a bit like a rolling pin to create a uniform layer filling the table. Then a well or two is created to be filled with coconut milk (squeezed from freshly grated coconut, and sometimes thickened by cooking), and further coconut milk is splashed all over the top. It's now ready to eat! Everyone now gathers around the table, and you use fingers to remove pieces that you can then dip in the coconut. Delicious!

Nalot shares some similarities with Vanuatu's national dish, laplap (similar ingredients, both mashed, both served with coconut cream), and yet the final result tastes completely different. Nalot is usually made from roasted ingredients, whereas laplap is prepared form raw ingredients that are then wrapped in laplap leaves and baked with hot stones in an earth oven. In Vanuatu, roasting means placing the food directly in the fire until the inside is soft and the outside is black. The black layer of charcoal is then scraped off, and in the case of nalot, the pounding can now begin. On tasting, you would never guess that taro nalot and laplap taro are 99% the same thing! Amazing!