Denarau Island, Fiji (20 February 2020) – The kids’ club at Club Wyndham Denarau Island has teamed up with schoolchildren in Australia to create solar lanterns and letters of hope for families affected by the devastating bushfires in some parts of country.
The Lantern Initiative, spearheaded by Reach 4 Your Future Foundation (R4YFF), aims to provide solar lanterns to select Australian communities that were severely affected by the fires, and continue to struggle due to a shortage in electricity.
The group invited young learners from six schools that offer science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) classes across Victoria to create the lanterns, while children of Club Wyndham owner families staying at the resort are creating handwritten cards with messages of hope.
“The overwhelming and devastating impacts of the recent bushfires made some children feel anxious, sad or scared. Hard-hit areas will take more time to recover and rebuild homes and livelihood, so we thought a simple pick-me-up like a greeting card would send a message of support to those affected by the fires,” said General Manager of Club Wyndham Denarau Island, Kaydee George.
“With the help of our resort staff, children at our kids’ club have created more than 30 cards so far, which will be delivered to select communities. We hope these messages bring encouragement to kids as they go back to schools and their regular day-to-day lives,” she added.
The solar lanterns – which double as chargers for mobile phones – and the cards will be sent to Australian communities identified by members of emergency services group, and delivery will be arranged by the R4YFF team.
Club Wyndham Denarau Island features a host of facilities including The Beach Shack café and bar, coffee lounge and smoothie bar, Mamacita Restaurant & Bar, swim-up pool bars and an oversized lagoon-style swimming pool. The resort also boasts a children’s pool, day spa, gym, beach club and a 24-hour reception.