When Cyclone Pam arrived in the south Pacific Ocean bringing destruction, devastation, and new levels of anxiety to those it affected, I thought it was wrong to sit by and do nothing. I decided to use my business, Five Boys Clothing, as a mechanism for good.
I am half I-Kiribati (the term used to describe a person from the country of Kiribati) and still have relatives living in the far-flung, low-lying beautiful island of Kiribati and across the Pacific.
In the past few weeks, I and others from the I-Kiribati community have found it increasingly difficult to establish good communication channels with our families in Kiribati. What we have heard consistently over the past few months is that the “king tides” that naturally occur at this time of year have been the biggest that anyone who lives in the Oceana region have ever been known.
The author, Sophia Walsh (middle of the second row from the top), at age eight, with her family.
In accordance with I-Kiribati tradition the extended family mostly live as a Kainga – all the siblings live together, with their children and grandchildren, and now great grandchildren. Walsh now lives in England.
Because of Kiribati's geography, any small changes in sea level can have an enormous effect.
Kiribati is composed of three archipelagos in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Together, they span an area greater than the United States. Straddling the equator, Kiribati is the only nation in the world to have land in both the Northern, Southern, Western, and Eastern Hemispheres. With the sole exception of one raised atoll, no where in Kiribati is more than two meters above the sea level.
The Tarawa atoll, capital of the republic of Kiribati. Credit: Mark Tranchant
Freak high tides creep up and across the island, spilling into ground-level wells and contaminating the water.
Due to the low lying position of the atolls of Kiribati, small changes in weather conditions have a big effect. Severe changes in weather conditions have a disastrous effect. Global warming is causing severe and consistent damage to the islands, particularly with fresh water supplies because the rise in sea levels causes increased salinity in the ground water.
My family has one well that hasn't been contaminated, but there are many families in the Pacific region that are not so fortunate.
The T-shirt
To support the fundraising efforts for the people affected by Cyclone Pam, Five Boys Clothing has created a t-shirt to be sold online with all the profits being split between immediate aid relief for Vanuatu, another Pacific island nation that was hit directly by the cyclone, and clean water for Kiribati.
Palm Tree Fundraising T-shirts. Credit: Five Boys Clothing
Designed by an award-winning designer, the logo is hand screen printed on 100% cotton. It isavailable on pre-order in both white and navy with either gold or grey print for both children (£10, ages 4-12) and adult (£14, small, medium and large). Bags are also available. To support our initiative, please click here.
All profits from the sales of our t-shirts will go out to help to support the disaster relief in Vanuatuand Kiribati, and in particular to support fundraising efforts to buy a desalination machine through The Island Rescue Project.
For more information please contact Sophia on sophia@fiveboysclothing.com.
