05/20/2020
It has been over a month since Cyclone Harold left a trail of destruction through the Kadavu Archipelago. All of the villages suffered major damage, each in different ways. Several of the villages lost their buildings and homes. In the more sheltered villages, homes were spared but all of the crops were destroyed. In an area of subsistence farming, crop loss is devastating to daily needs. The staples of cassava and taro were wiped out and will take about 6 months to grow back. And the income-producing kava
cash crop was also obliterated, crippling the villages’ ability to purchase their food.
Richard Mercer and Oneta Resort staff members visited each of the villages to assess the damage and speak with village leaders about their specific needs. (For those of you who have not had the pleasure of meeting Richard, he is the General Manager of Oneta Resort and invaluable to the Oneta Foundation as well!) Based on those conversations, we were able to make an aid plan for each village. This is where each and every one of your generous donations comes into play. The short term need in all of the villages is for food so the team was quickly able to arrange for over 7 tons of food staples to be purchased from Hardip Narayan and Sons. Our neighbor Kokomo Resort volunteered its barge to bring in the food from Suva so no money was necessary for expensive shipping costs. The first
shipment arrived and is now in the process of being distributed to each village. Buliya, Dravuni, and Nabouwalu received assistance two days ago . The remaining four villages are in the process of receiving theirs now.
We will continue to bring in food until the village crops are harvested again. we are able to provide it solely due to your
generosity.
In the coming weeks Richard will also assess the need for building materials. These supplies will provide the villages a great start for cyclone rebuilding of individual homes and community projects. (We will figure out a plan on
how to source and transport these vital supplies to our remote island at that time.)
The Oneta Foundation currently has almost no overhead costs because the distribution work is mainly being handled by Oneta Resort and its staff. With the exception of very small banking fees, every dollar you all donated
is going to help the villages. If you have any questions about these efforts or want more information on how the aid is helping in the villages, let us know.
We are still setting up the Oneta Foundation website and this page. When finished, these will be an effective source of information. Also, let us know if you want to become more directly involved in this effort. Perhaps become a sustaining member of The Oneta Foundation and its projects!
On behalf of the Oneta Foundation and the entire Oneta Resort family, please accept our deepest gratitude and heartfelt thanks. The funds that you have donated are truly life savers and will have a long-lasting positive effect
in this area.
Vinaka Vakalevu!!
Martin & Liz, Directors
