Ashley Crowther

[UPDATE] : It has only been 3 days and I have almost hit my target of $850. This is simply an amazing and humbling progression to see and it is all thanks to my incredibly generous donors and supporters. Thank you so very much. This is an opportunity for the project to smash the intended goal. The funds, if they exceed the goal, will be used for hiring local translators and as I will be staying in community run home stay's (which are all sorted) all the funds will go directly into community hands where it is needed the most. With hope and love, thanks, Ashley. 

[ORIGINAL PROJECT]:

The Hidden Voices of Kiribati is an environmental journalism story that will be solely completed by yours truly. Many people across the globe do not know where Kiribati is and for that matter never heard of it in the first place. Google Maps even pinpoints the wrong island and Lonely Planet do not even have a guide on it.

However, the issues facing the 100-thousand pacific island population are extremely dire and are rarely discussed or covered on an international scale. Due to climate change and rising sea levels the nation of Kiribati is facing inundation within the very near-future as most islands are only 2-3m above sea level.

While the former is an important topic I believe that many issues that the country is facing now are dire and will be exacerbated by rising seas. The island of South Tarawa is one of the most densely populated places on the planet with 50 thousand people crammed into 10 square kilometres, which is twice as dense as the cities of Sydney and New York.

Additionally, the freshwater lens located 2m below ground is becoming more prone to contamination by human waste and salt intrusion that are leading to life threatening issues; food security is under threat as many fish stocks are locally exhausted and overcrowding damages already poor agricultural land; the tiny economy struggles with 20 thousand unemployed and what little revenue fishing licenses bring in; a child sex trade for foreign fishing vessels; and the underlying issue of I-Kiribati leaving their homeland due to these listed threats or sea level rise in the future, which inevitably lead to cultural and social erosion, but most of all a impact on identity and what it means to be I-Kiribati if there is no homeland.

As a writer, photographer and environmentalist I feel as though this story needs to be told and if there is to be an improvement and optimistic outlook for the people’s lives on Kiribati a global force of change is required. Scanning through recently written media reports focus and speaks of government initiatives, statements and scientific reporting.

I wish to change this by getting to the heart of the situation and giving it a human face by creating and exploring dialogues with communities from elders to children to government officials. This is a story about people on a human planet facing issues that many of us don’t think about because we do not face them. Their voice has not been heard and it is this projects main foundational goal to give them that medium of written and photographic communication.

I will be working with a handful of local NGO’s, such as the ‘Kiribati Adaptation Programme’, which I have been in contact with that will assist with dialogue and community connections. An interview that I conducted recently put me in touch with the Minister/Director of Environment and will develop into more interviews with other government officials.

I hope that you can join me and support me on this journey to give voices to the voiceless.

My crowd-funding goal for the project is to cover on the ground costs, such as accommodation, transport, translators and fixers. All these resources will be locally sourced putting your money directly back into communities and country that need it the most.

If the goal of $850 is reached, but not exceeded I will continue on with this project using what funds I can personally muster up. This project and story deserves to be heard on the international level and resonates within my heart. Below is a breakdown of the approximate costs:

- Accommodation for 25 nights at $30 a night in various community homestay’s = $750
- Local boat transport from South Tarawa to outer and remote Atolls (islands) = $100-200
- Supplies for remote communities away from urban centres = $100-150
- Translator’s and fixer’s costs = $200-300

- One of the main challenges that will be confronting on a daily basis in the time frame in which I have to complete this project, which is only 3 weeks. I am confident that it will give me enough time for what I need to do. However, this will always be a determining factor. 

- Time consumed on local boat transport in getting out to remoter Atolls (islands). There is no easy way around this, as it is the only method of transport available in this part of the world. 

- Communication with the outside world while I am in the process of getting relevant material. Internet is only available on the main island, where I will only spend a fraction of my time on. Otherwise there will be no communication from me to supporters until after the project is complete.