At the heart of Voices of Hope is the Memorial Design Program, where schools across Efate and Port Vila are invited to imagine and shape the future memorial through drawing, clay modelling, and storytelling.

Each child’s contribution becomes part of a larger act of remembrance transforming grief into education, art, and unity.

Over many trips our volunteers have been able to establish 6 schools under our sponsorship programme, allowing us to be able to gift school equipment and supplies. The teachers of Mele Maat school have given us time to talk to the students and parents about their needs and they have given us lists of the items that will benefit them the most.

Along with this was born the idea of honouring the members of the community who lost their lives in the 2024 earth quake. By designing a memorial fountain set to be placed in the heart of Vila at the site of the worst of the destruction of the earth quake.

To show the kids of all the schools in the programme that no dream is too big, voices of change is establishing the Memorial Design Programme as a competition the students enter, to be a part of the submission to the Vanuatu government. A portfolio of designs have been made by various independent designers and architects. Along side these designs to be submitted is the winner of the design programme directly drawn and designed by the students in the schools.

We have been greatly amazed by the response in the community and the quality of the drawings by the students. It goes to show that intelligence and skills can develop anywhere, the only thing that allows that to flourish is opportunities and access to materials.

In essence that is why we started Voices of change. To give students in poor areas better opportunities and with the help of generous donors and volunteers access to quality materials.