Mullikin family builds children’s library in the Republic of Fiji
October 30, 2018
By W. Thomas Smith Jr.
CAMDEN, S.C. – The children and teachers of WENDY HOUSE, the primary kindergarten in the Village of Toga, Republic of Fiji, now have a new library wing added to the school thanks to a generous donation from Tom and Virginia Ann Mullikin of Camden-based Global Eco Adventures (GEA). And the library is now said to be a popular learning hub for both students and adult villagers alike in Toga.
“Books and other educational resources are a critical necessity for so many otherwise isolated people, worldwide, who should benefit from the same boundless learning and life-building opportunities far too many of us take for granted,” says Tom Mullikin, pres. of GEA. “Virginia Ann and I have always tried to invest our money and make a difference in the communities and regions of the world where we have worked and – in that work – physically seen and experienced the greatest need.”
The addition of the library – officially Monk Library after Virginia Ann’s nickname – to the kindergarten facility was completed in 2017. Virginia Ann also serves as treasurer of GEA.
“Our support to Fiji and the Fijian people is a reflection of our sincere love of both, as it is in the Galapagos with the National Park, other areas around the globe, and even here at home in Camden where GEA projects and outreach programs benefit so many,” says Mullikin. “This investing in our global and local communities is perhaps the most important component of our overall personal and corporate philosophy.”
Rusiate Ulunisau, chief of the Village of Toga, said, “We are deeply grateful for the support of Tom and Virginia Ann Mullikin. This library will help our children with their education and development. We are so happy to receive such assistance.”
An official statement from the Toga community reads in part: “Thank you very much for being so generous to the people of Fiji. Your actions have and will continue to leave a lasting legacy for the children who pass through the kindergarten each and every year.”
The statement added that the Mullikin family is “always welcome” at their “home in Fiji.”
Mullikin is intimately familiar with Fiji. In 2013-2014, he led a team of experts on behalf of the United Nations Development Programme and the American Bar Association (UNDP-ABA) and served as liaison to the Fijian government in drafting expansive comments and recommendations for legislation aimed at protecting the Pacific island nation’s rich mineral resources.
“Tom Mullikin has a huge heart for Fiji, the Pacific Rim nations, and the world,” said Fijian Permanent Secretary of Lands and Mineral Resources Tevita Boseiwaqa in remarks following the UNDP-ABA work. “What Mullikin and his international team has done is strengthening the foundation of Fiji’s economy so that we as a nation may thrive in the global marketplace, while protecting both the Fijian people and our rich natural resources for many years to come.”
For more information, please visit Global Eco Adventures at http://globalecoadventures.org/.
