Meet Manuela, Peter, and Helen
These three ni-Vanuatu youth have been training in the Korean martial art of Hwa Rang Do for the past year. The training has made a big difference in their lives. They have gained confidence and discipline, leading to a greater sense of responsibility.
Manuella Kelep is 19-years old. She and her twin sister, Jenny, live together in Port Vila with while the rest of the family lives on the island of Malekula. They are both members of Vanua Fire, which performs 8 fire dance shows a week at various resorts around Port Vila as well as a bi-weekly cirque-style performance on Sunday nights.
Peter Harry is 21-years-old. He lives in Tanoliu on North Efate but commutes to Port Vila to attend classes at the youth center. He is passionate about field hockey which he helps coach and which enabled him to travel to Fiji and Australia for tournaments and training.
Helen Rose Tabi is 17-years-old. She finished eighth grade but was forced to quit school when her mother became hospitalized due to illness and needed help around the house. She is the oldest of three, her two younger brothers are 14- and 5-years-old. She started training in May and has worked hard during class to earn a place in the program.
We want to bring these amazing youth to the United States for six months to undergo intensive martial arts training. Once they complete this training, they will return to Vanuatu and take over teaching the Hwa Rang Do class at their youth center.
Our Story
We want to create a strong, sustainable martial arts program with at-risk youth in Vanuatu. We believe that martial arts teaches self-discipline, confidence and leadership. Here’s how it started.
My name is Jason. My wife, Gaea, and I have been serving the country of Vanuatu as Peace Corps Volunteers for the past three years. We moved into the capital for a third year of service and established a successful martial arts program at Wan SmolBag Youth Center.
Wan SmolBag started as a theater which created plays and movies that entertained while opening discussions about difficult issues facing people in the South Pacific. They have since expanded to include a free clinic, an environmental program, a nutrition center, and a youth center with classes from literacy to fire dancing to sewing to hip-hop as well as a sports program.
We approached the youth center about starting martial arts classes. They were excited at the prospect as they had difficulty finding an instructor willing to teach martial arts. Even so, we faced the challenge of limited space at first. We started training on the main stage until a new set went into place. Then we trained on the youth center stage where students were coming and going mid-class. Despite these challenges our classes drew high attendance, which made it clear we needed a permanent home. We moved into the hip hop room and set up punching bags around the edges, and then got some basic equipment which we share with the boxing club. We've been training hard for a year since then. Now we have a strong core of students who are working hard and developing their health, self-discipline, and confidence.
Unfortunately, our contract is ending and it’s time for us to move on. However, we really want these kids to continue their training. The World Hwa Rang Do Association is dedicated to building strong leaders for the future. This will be the first such exchange program conducted by the organization but it will not be the last. We want to make this an ongoing exchange creating a sustainable Hwa Rang Do club in Port Vila. Then we want to use our experience in setting up this program to set up many more exchanges and scholarships to help youth throughout the world discover their potential.
This is where it starts and we need your help.
What We Need
Here are the things we need funding for
● Plane tickets to Fiji to interview for the visas
● Visa fees
● Plane tickets to the US and back
● Insurance coverage
● A small amount of money for clothes and personal expenses (moving from the tropics to Minnesota will be a big transition)
● Travel to all seminars and tournaments
● Uniforms and protective gear
We are in the process of identifying host families for the students while they are in the US. Being hosted by a family here in Vanuatu has enriched our experience and been one of the highlights for us. The youth will become part of a family while they are here.
The Art
Hwa Rang Do is a comprehensive system of self-defense and combative techniques. This system has been developed in accordance to the ancient Korean principles of Um-Yang, which emphasize balance in life and harmony with others and nature.
Tae Soo Do is the undergraduate program for beginner Martial Artists. It is designed to help understand the fundamentals, basic mechanics, and philosophies inherent in the practice of martial arts. It is also considered the sport version of Hwa Rang Do.
Training in Hwa Rang Do is a path of personal development through the vehicle of martial training. In addition to the physical aspects, students learn meditation and discuss philosophy. Every class ends by repeating our code of ethics and students must reflect on these points during each belt ranking test. We believe that this combination of physical and mental training maximizes the student’s potential; building confidence, character, discipline, respect of others, and leadership skills.
The WHRDA
The World Hwa Rang Do Association (WHRDA) is committed to humanitarian development around the world through the vehicle of traditional martial arts instruction. Hwa Rang Do differentiates itself from other martial arts by developing leaders with a strong sense of social justice. “We want our members to live in a way that their actions meet their intentions. Too many people live a life with good intentions, but don’t have the discipline to take action to see things through,” said Grandmaster Taejoon Lee.
Hwa Rang Do’s charitable efforts to date include fundraising for organizations including Saint Jude Children’s Hospital, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and the Juvenile Diabetes Association, plus an international humanitarian trip. In August of 2009, a team from Hwa Rang Do’s Italian Branch went to Angola to work with the children of Lixeira, a city built entirely on top of a garbage dump. The poorest of the poor in the world live there. The trash surrounding them serves as their source for supplies, tools, food, and regrettably even water. This operation marked the beginning of a broader mission by the World Hwa Rang Do Association to bring the gift of self-empowerment to those with the greatest needs – both domestically and globally.
The WHRDA is seeking to expand its impact through this particular program with the youth in Vanuatu, and model these activities elsewhere around the globe. For this particular campaign 75% of all funds raised will go directly to the experience of Manuella, Peter, and Helen's needs as well as supplies and equipment for the club upon their return. The remaining 25% will be allocated for the WHRDA's needs of broadening out for additional outreach and programming.
Hwa Rang Do - "Empowering Our World, One Person At a Time!"
Learn more about Hwa Rang Do
The Impact
Vanuatu is a country on the verge of big changes. Traditional life is still pursued, though increasingly cash crops are sown in with subsistence crops and people make crafts to sell to tourists alongside their customary actions.
Over 50% of the population of this tiny South Pacific nation is under the age of 25 and the number of young people in the towns in growing by more than double the annual growth rate each year. The economic growth of the country is slow which leaves very few job options for the increasing youth population. Many young people struggle to find jobs and wind up wasting time and finding other pursuits to amuse themselves. Often, these other pursuits lead to problems like teenage parenthood and encounters with law-enforcement.
We hope that through this campaign, we will provide a place for young people to learn and grow together. Through the training, they will gain self-confidence. Because they are confident, they will become leaders and their experiments in leadership will be supported by their classmates. We hope that they will unlock their potential in training and in life.
The community we have built around our martial arts class has become a safe place for boys and girls to come and be themselves. We have watched young women change from being too shy to speak up in class to standing up to the boys and we’ve watched boys who refused to try anything new take on cartwheels while the class was watching. We want to continue this experience for more youth and make it a youth-led endeavor.
Your contribution will help us train Vanuatu’s future leaders.
Over- or Under- funding
What if we are under-funded?
We are dedicated to making this project happen. If this campaign falls a little short, we will be able to find other sources of funding to fill the gap. If we fall far short and can't locate a large donor we will use funds raised to support the vanuatu club including equipment purchases.
What if we are over-funded?
This campaign is designed to fund the students’ travel to and training in the U.S. Funds we raise in excess of the goal will be used to support the continuation of the club in Vanuatu when they return. This will include training equipment, fees/scholarships, and possible future exchange programs. Everything we raise will help make this program a long-term success. If we are significantly over-funded then the WHRDA will also have the means to provide significant scholarships to those in need and also further develop more branches of outreach to our global community.
Other Ways You Can Help
Regardless of whether or how much you can contribute directly, we ask that everyone help us spread the word by spreading links to our campaign. Post on your timeline, tweet, e-mail, shout it from the rooftops, or write it down and pass it out. Please help us give these kids the experience of a lifetime and the skills to lift up themselves and their community.
Thank you
