April 26, 2020
Coconut Wireless Newsletter 2019-20
For All Our Wild Ones!
Our annual newsletter comes to you in the form of a video – because we love movement! If you instead want to read all about our year then we have added content to cover all bases. Enjoy!
Key Events, Spring 19-20
Our Recent Fundraising Campaign
Donate here to our Covid-19 for Taveuni fundraiser for three Fijian villages to be put into a draw to win a hand-woven Fijian voivoi mat.
Community Interest Company (CIC)
On the 18th April 2020 we started the process of registering as a Community Interest Company. This move allows us to do more fundraising and therefore be involved in more projects.
A New Sri Lankan Company in the Making
In February 2020, we registered our company name in Sri Lanka and will wait until after the Covid-19 to continue to the next step. This will allow us to host volunteer teachers in Sri Lanka.
Renovations to our Private Sri Lankan villette
On the 24th October I took a three year lease on a small villette in Hiriketiya, where my heart is. It’s a space away from the crowds in a beach/jungle location. We wanted to use it as our base to host Wildcrafted Wellness retreats but unfortunately the landlord died just after he’d signed the contract. We had to cope with lots of family fights over the land but I still managed to co-ordinate the renovations before I had to leave for Europe due to the Coronavirus.
Starting our first Wildcrafted Wellness Villa
The villa was based 1.5 hours by scooter away in Midigama. The first few months between September and December, went well considering such a slow season in the wake of the bombings in April.
Batu was our surf guide and teacher, Chatu and his wife were our landlords; podi mali was our cleaner, Aiya our tuk-tuk driver, Marcia was our yoga teacher. Our guests ate in local restaurants and took local tours.
All our guests loved the concept and mentioned that we were the only hosts that they could find online who really prioritise local business and Fairtrade travel.
We have since mutually decided to move to a new location which is closer to the projects we are embarking on like volunteer teaching, mangrove planting and micro business support programmes.
Our Book
This a bit of a secret but thought we’d share with you that we are in the process of writing as well as operating the business. I’ve been researching for the past three years and we now have Ellie, a volunteer writer from the University of West of England on board helping with research and content.
Our Team
Bruno Fontanet had joined as a guest blog writer.
Ellie has also joined us from UWE as a volunteer writer.
The impact of the Coronavirus
What are we doing? How are we coping?
Brexit’s Influence
We noticed changes during the transition which affected the exchange rates. We rely on the strength of the pound so for a short time this was a really problem. We also had to open a dollar account which we pay monthly for incase stirling.
New Trips
Mangroving and Diving for Debris, Sri Lanka
Fairtrade Teaching, Sri Lanka – Please email Kirsty on kirsty@island-spirit.org
Classic Trips
Fairtrade Volunteer Teaching 2021, Fiji
Yoga, Surf, Tea and Temples, Sri Lanka
New in Sri Lanka
Mangroving and Diving for Debris, Sri Lanka
A Plant-Based Food Adventure, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka Fairtrade, TEFL Primary Teaching – Please email Kirsty on kirsty@island-spirit.org
Cheap Flights
At the moment we don’t have any suggestions while we wait for the world to be accessible once again.
New Blogs and Vlogs
Our reaction to the Coronavirus
Fairtrade volunteering in Fiji
Video of the volunteering on Fiji during 2020
A story from our Primary Teacher, Maartje, The Village at the End, By Maartje Van Bussel, June 9th – 24th 2019, Taveuni, Fiji
Podcasts of Interest and Inspiration
Grassroots Projects
Reading Glasses for Bouma National Park Elders
Our cyclone-harold-and-a-coronavirus-campaign-taveuni
Vacancies
We don’t need anymore Wild Ones right now!
Our Ethos
Completely Fairtrade travel.
Homestays paid $FJD60/$USD28 pppn so if that’s not an indicator I don’t know what is!
We only help projects we are directly asked (from the community themselves) to assist with so in other words we don’t produce a project or volunteer programme because our tribe want to do it. It has to come from the community level.
We pride ourselves on only using locally owned or run accommodation or those with a sustainability policy in place and preferably awards – these are the hard finds!
In Summary
So all together a huge amount of reshuffles. But isn’t life like that? Once everything seems calm and straight forward it’s sure that it doesn’t last for long, especially in international development and when working on any level with local communities!
I hope the coronavirus hasn’t impacted your projects and dreams.
