Most people don't know it but they have seen Fanning Island. It was the setting for the backgrounds of the TV show, Gilligan's Island. The arrow points to the location in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Population: 4000
Location: Draw a line from Santiago Chile to Shanghai China, then draw one from Sydney Australia to San Francisco. Make a microscopic dot where they cross. That is Fanning Island. Few ships visit there. From the island, they see container ships going back and forth from China from time to time but not many ships visit here.
In 1997, they had one working tractor, 3 working motor scooters, one small flat bed truck, about 100 bicycles for the 300 families totaling about 1,900 people.
Today (2012) is not much different. There are no working tractors, 5 flat bed trucks, 20 motor scooters, 270 working bicycles and the population has increases to about 4000.
There is still no telephone, no Internet, no electricity, no hospital, and they are often out of imported food basics. Compared to the West there is nothing. But, compared to rest of Kiribati, Fanning is the richest island with golden cash flow of cruise ship money. Communication is by unreliable radio, costing $1 a minute in country, and $6 a minute overseas. The radio often does not work, or when the radio does the other island’s radio is broken. Telegrams are 17 cents a word locally including comas question marks and full stop. (period)
"If you are planning to visit: If you like you can bring some thing to share with the people: Your surplus can meet their most important needs.
-Please NO SUGARY CANDIES, the dental hygiene is generally poor and this adds to making smiling faces into toothless faces. Bring tooth paste and tooth brushes instead.
-Medical supplies for use in the 4 small island clinics are very much needed. Band-aids, cleaning solutions, hand soaps, wound care items and all other health care needs are most needed and important. Treating infections and health matters are a matter of life or death.
-Educational materials and school supplies are great items to bring and donate
-New or used tennis/sports shoes that can be used by our local soccer team."
They often play soccer and volleyball with ship crew and passengers on ship day. The larger & wider the better because some have described their feet as wide-fat-flat “Flintstone type Feet” from going barefoot.
-Vegetable seeds such as cherry tomatoes, tomatoes, Chinese cabbage, cucumbers, corn, melons, egg plant, green onions, and others that do well in a hot humid climate are welcome.
-Used eye glasses: prescription, reading, magnifiers.
-Don't bring anything that requires batteries.
-Pencils are more useful than pens.
I made a stupid mistake that I am ashamed to admit. I bought small toys for the children but I didn't give the toys to the teacher as requested. Instead I decided to give out the toys to the children directly. That caused fighting to break out. The teachers can hand out the toys as rewards which is much better than the way I did it.
-Educational materials and school supplies are great items to bring and donate
-New or used tennis/sports shoes that can be used by our local soccer team."
They often play soccer and volleyball with ship crew and passengers on ship day. The larger & wider the better because some have described their feet as wide-fat-flat “Flintstone type Feet” from going barefoot.
-Vegetable seeds such as cherry tomatoes, tomatoes, Chinese cabbage, cucumbers, corn, melons, egg plant, green onions, and others that do well in a hot humid climate are welcome.
-Used eye glasses: prescription, reading, magnifiers.
-Don't bring anything that requires batteries.
-Pencils are more useful than pens.
I made a stupid mistake that I am ashamed to admit. I bought small toys for the children but I didn't give the toys to the teacher as requested. Instead I decided to give out the toys to the children directly. That caused fighting to break out. The teachers can hand out the toys as rewards which is much better than the way I did it.
