Friends Of Tonga? Inc.

We were able to virtually connect with the new crop of Peace Corps Tonga Volunteers, who live on the Vava'u island group, during their In-Service-Training. We had a wonderful meet-and-greet and discussion on how Friends of Tonga can support them during their service. We look forward to maximizing their impact and serving the Tongan community through their efforts in the coming years! Also, there are worse views for a training! #FriendsOfTonga #PeaceCorps #PeaceCorpsTonga #Tonga #Community #NationalPeaceCorpsAssociation #CheckOutTheViews

Unveiling our 2024 Friends of Tonga T-Shirt design competition winner: Nancy Sinatra! Nancy is a current high schooler in the Kingdom of Tonga. Her design is a depiction of a dove through traditional tapa design. We feel this year’s design is especially appropriate, since the dove is a symbol for peace and hope. Sales end for this batch on December 9th and should arrive before Christmas! All merchandise sales directly support our operations and programs, so pick up a few stocking stuffers for your family and friends! Click the link below: https://lnkd.in/eCBYUUH7

Press Release: Friends of Tonga is thrilled to announce the official groundbreaking of the Tu’anuku Kindergarten! Located in the northern island group of Vava’u, Tu’anuku is a rural village that was in need of space for their early-childhood education. They officially requested our support earlier this year. This will be Friends of Tonga’s second weather-resistant school building project undertaken in the Kingdom of Tonga. As a reminder, we built the first weather-resistant kindergarten in 2021 on the island of ‘Eua. For this project, we have once again partnered with the nonprofit Schools for the Children of the World (SCW), who have successfully constructed? hundreds of state-of-the-art classrooms and school complexes around the world. Likewise, we have partnered with The Civil Society Forum of Tonga to assist in managing the logistics and the day-to-day operations of the building. Projects like these are becoming increasingly necessary as climate change continues to pose an ever-present risk to communities around the world–especially in Oceania. Severe weather events, like cyclones and tsunamis, directly impact student achievement and rates of literacy. This is because students from impacted communities spend more time out of the classroom, while the community recovers and rebuilds. This project could not have been undertaken without the generous donations from individuals and organizations around the globe. A special thank you to Charles Piutau and the Bristol Bears for the fundraising efforts back in 2022. It was Mr. Piutau’s wish that part of the money they raised for the Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai volcanic eruption be spent on a classroom project. Likewise, thank you once again to both Edrington and The Atlas Foundation for donating to this project. Lastly, thank you to all of the individual donors who continue to support our efforts. We believe projects like these to be good international development: needs identified by the community and funded and implemented through stakeholders who care. Without supporters like you, our impact and reach would be far less than what it is. You are truly making a difference in the lives of students, teachers, and parents across the Kingdom of Tonga. This is truly a team effort and we are grateful to everyone who chooses to be on the Friends of Tonga Team! ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????### #FriendsofTonga #SchoolsForChildrenOfTheWorld #SCW #CivilSocietyForumOfTonga #CSFT #Tonga #BristolBears #AtlasFoundation #RugbyCommunity #Edrington #ClimateChange #Literacy #SchoolConstruction #InternationalDevelopment #NationalPeaceCorpsAssociation #NPCA #EarlyChildhoodEducation

The Atlas Foundation has generously donated ￡4,204 GBP ($5,450 USD) to Friends of Tonga to support the construction of a weather resistant kindergarten located in the northern island group of Vava’u. Their generous donation will help provide both the skilled labor and the materials needed to supply electricity to the school. Located in the United Kingdom, the Atlas Foundation exists to support the world’s most disadvantaged children. It uses rugby as a vehicle to provide programming and services that target communities’ most significant barriers. Through strategic partnerships with local communities and international organizations, the Atlas Foundation has supported 192,347 children across 19 countries. We are proud to be their latest partner and for Tonga to be the 20th country they have chosen to support! This generosity could not come at a better time. Climate change is an ever-present risk to educational achievement in Tonga and across the entire South Pacific. After any severe weather event, students across impacted communities spend less time in classrooms while the community recovers and rebuilds. As highlighted in UNESCO’s 2023 Monitoring and Evaluating Climate Communication and Education Project (MECCE) profile for Tonga, constructing weather resistant schools is one way to ensure students have more days in the classroom and better educational outcomes in spite of increased risk with climate change. A big malo (thank you) to the Atlas Foundation for helping us provide Tongan students with a safe learning environment and for helping combat climate change’s impact on educational achievement across the Kingdom of Tonga! #AtlasFoundation #Atlas #FriendsofTonga #NationalPeaceCorpsAssociation #NPCA #Tonga #KingdomOfTonga #ClimateChange #EducationalAchievement #LiteracyMatters

It is time to vote on the submissions for the Friends of Tonga 2024 T-shirt competition! This year, submissions came from current and former Peace Corps Volunteers, diplomats, Tongan teachers, students, and tattoo artists. Each design is as unique as the artist who designed them. Please select up to three designs! Voting ends Saturday, November 16th at 11:59 pm. https://lnkd.in/e4tM6JaH

FoT President, Michael Hassett, Ph.D., and Special Advisor, Nicolas Karr, were able to drop into American University to talk about their experiences serving in the Peace Corps and to discuss the good work Friends Of Tonga? Inc. is doing across the Kingdom of Tonga. Thank you Ambassador Don Bliss for inviting us to speak to your class! We hope your students had as much fun as we did! #FriendsofTonga #PeaceCorps #PeaceCorpsTonga #PeaceCorpsVanuatu #Tonga #Vanuatu #ThirdGoal #PeaceCorpsThirdGoal #NationalPeaceCorpsAssociation #NPCA

We are thrilled to announce our latest addition to the Friends of Tonga team; Kyle Aloof will serve as our new PCV Officer in the Kingdom of Tonga! Kyle is a Peace Corps volunteer currently serving as an English educator at the primary school level in Houma, 'Eua. As part of his role, he has led a number of impactful community projects, including securing over 36,000 pa'anga in funding for educational improvements and local development. These projects have included the construction of a new school fence to improve student safety and security, in addition to acquiring a fishing boat to support the economic needs of the community. He holds a Master of International Affairs from Texas A&M University and a Bachelor's degree from Florida State University. His professional background spans several countries, with key roles in Uganda, Honduras, and Sierra Leone, focusing on educational initiatives, disability advocacy, and community infrastructure projects. In Uganda, he assisted youth with disabilities in developing technical skills, while in Sierra Leone, he facilitated the construction of a school library through a $25,000 grant. In addition to his professional endeavors, Kyle is an avid traveler and has visited over 25 countries. His passion for global engagement and community empowerment aligns with the mission of Friends of Tonga, where he is dedicated to advancing education and sustainable development in Tonga. Welcome to the FoT team, Kyle! We can't wait for you to roll up your sleeves with us! #FriendsofTonga #PeaceCorpsTonga #PeaceCorps #FoT #Tonga #NationalPeaceCorpsAssociation #NPCA

Only 10 days left to submit a t-shirt design!

?? ?? Hey, you! Yeah, you!?Stop Scrolling! A few quick questions for you: ?? Do you want to live overseas? ??Do you want to learn a new language?? ??Do you want to support literacy in the South Pacific? ??Have you ever considered becoming a Peace Corps Volunteer? If so, you should check out the link below: https://lnkd.in/erTZHQwu The application deadline to apply to serve in Tonga has been extended to November 1, 2024! You are one click away from changing your life and countless others, but don’t take our word for it! Check out some of the testimonials from former volunteers who have served in Tonga: “I loved serving as a Peace Corps English Language facilitator- I was able to work with Tongan teachers to develop student centered learning activities, help with student English language development, and develop materials for my Tongan counterparts. My favorite part of my day was being in the classroom with my students!” -Chiara? (Returned Peace Corps Volunteer RPCV Tonga 2012-2014) My Peace Corps service in Tonga was more enriching than I had originally anticipated and once again proved that education doesn’t just happen inside the classroom.? I created deep connections with the local community who welcomed me like a family that I still keep in touch with today.? Every service has its challenges, but those tough moments made my experience that much more significant.? By the time I left Tonga, I felt a deep sense of pride, knowing my contributions had a lasting impact on both the people and myself." -Daniella? (RPCV Tonga: 2019-2020; 2023-2024) #PeaceCorps #PeaceCorpsTonga #Tonga #KingdomofTonga #TheToughestJobYouWillEverLove #NationalPeaceCorpsAssociation #LiteracyMatters

Check out he WorldView Guide to Graduate School for returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs)! This in-depth multimedia experience was produced by the National Peace Corps Association and is meant to help RPCVs and others explore the pursuit of a graduate degree from application to admission. https://lnkd.in/e2xawNwy #NationalPeaceCorpsAssociation #PeaceCorps #PCV #RPCV #ReturnedPeaceCorpsVolunteers #GradSchool #WorldView