Celebration to focus on awareness and education, featuring health, agriculture, youth, and climate change programs

This year’s 45th Independence Anniversary celebration on Motalava Island will be different from past years, with a full week of activities focused on community awareness and education.

In an interview with VBTC News, Mr. John Antas, Chairperson of the 30 July Celebration Committee on Motalava, said the week-long event will involve many government departments such as Agriculture, Health, Climate Change, Education, and more.

He said the program is designed not just for celebration, but to inform and educate people about important work being done by different departments in the Motalava Area Council.

The celebration will begin on Thursday, 24 July with Children’s Day, which will include educational activities.
The rest of the week will include:

• Day 2: Health awareness
• Day 3: Youth programs
• Day 4: Religious activities
• Day 5: Agriculture show and Q&A with farmers
• Day 6: Climate change awareness
• Day 7 (30 July): Official Independence Day celebrations, with speeches from chiefs and Area Council leaders

Mr. Antas stressed that this year, the event is not just for fun, but for people to learn about the roles of departments working within the Motalava community.

On Day 5, the Agriculture Department and local farmers will showcase their products and highlight the importance of farming in helping to grow the local economy.

When VBTC News visited the celebration site, people were busy preparing stalls for the big event. As of today, over 20 stalls are ready to be used throughout the one-week celebration.

Only one day remains before the celebration officially kicks off.