In the archipelago of Vanuatu, set in the blue of the South Pacific, the far, northern islands are so remote that the basic supplies for a healthy life are lacking.

For many centuries the people have relied on the herbal remedies from their plentiful surrounds. The community medicine man has dispensed his healing faith. The power of black magic has been blamed for many illnesses.

At long last the people of Motolava Island have a "trained" medical assistant. He has arrived from a nearby island replaced there by a doctor, provided via a charitable organization.

assistant steps into the shack that acts as the local clinic, he is struck by the empty shelves. There are no bandages, no dressings, no ointments, no disinfectants; just a few headache tablets.

He surveys the smiling, laughing children playing in the village. A boy of 8 years has an open wound incurred from a stake in the bush. A 6 year old girl, one of many, is suffering from scabies. A 10 year old limps across the bare earth as if he has always walked in this manner. Mothers cuddle and cajole babies racked with deep seated coughs. Where does he start to make a difference?

As he tours the village with the huts built directly on the hard-packed soil, he sees curled on hand-woven mats a child whimpering with the fever of malaria. With the recent long ‘wet’ season from December to April, the mosquitoes are severe. This region is renowned for malaria.

The chair of AusAID’s malaria reference group, Professor Sir Richard Feachem, acknowledges that malaria is the biggest killer of children throughout Melanesia. But he has high hopes for a country like Vanuatu where blood tests identified that only 3% of 5000 children tested has been in contact with malaria. Further plans, projects and money are to be provided to make the region disease-free by 2015. But how long will it be before these remote, northern islanders see the benefit? How many more small children will succumb?

These islanders living in ‘no-cash economies’ are unable to purchase the latest in medicines, to buy chemically treated mosquito nets, to benefit from staff trained in supporting communities.

Harris Arop, the local Secretary for Motolava, suggests that he contacts one group that can help. He uses the village’s only solar powered phone to call the capital, Port Vila, and the YouMe Support Foundation.

YouMe Support Foundation, a Child Trust Fund, has been assisting these islands since 2004. It is dedicated to giving the children a chance to lead a healthy life, an educated life, with a high school education within reach.

In response to this urgent request, YouMe Support Foundation gathered 30 kgs of basic medical supplies. Air freight was organised to get these goods there faster, but like many good plans in Vanuatu, things go astray. Meanwhile the boxes sit packed, taped and addressed under the office windows.

Communication and transportation to these outer northern islands is random. Perhaps the flight did not go due to lack of paying passengers, or perhaps there was a priority elsewhere. Shipping cannot be relied upon either; taking months to reach its destination.

Meanwhile the ‘trained’ medical assistant begins his work with the villagers. He sees one of his tasks as a need to educate the people in the prevention of illnesses. These children need to be able to read and write too. Children taught the ideas of "good health" will take their new found skills and knowledge into their homes and communities. Basic primary education is all that is available, but it can be supplemented with a health program.

Across these northern, isolated islands of Vanuatu education is at a premium. The government acknowledged in late 2007 that it was unable to finance and resource education in these areas.

Throughout Vanuatu children miss out on an education. Education is not free and remains beyond the realm of those on meagre or no incomes.

The dire consequences of this are:

•only 55.8% of Vanuatu kids will get to grade 6;

•of those only 18.2% will go to high school ;

•26% will never go to school at all.

Rick and Wendy Tendys, the founders of YouMe Support Foundation, are raffling Seachange Lodge (a private holiday home, plus 6 luxury holiday apartments) on the Internet, to raise funds for non-repayable high school education grants for the children of the outer islands of Vanuatu. This is a World First, Blue Moon Opportunity that will change someone’s life, as well as the lives of these children.

You can be part of this exciting project and make a real difference. You can visit these children. Vanuatu is only three hours flight from Sydney, Australia.