Students Take Up Impossible Challenge

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) November 11, 2009 -- As Richard and Wendy Tendys take up the impossible challenge, all eyes are turning towards the tiny South Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu. The Tendys are hosting a Guinness World Record challenge in the tropical island nation in the South Pacific, in Vanuatu on 19th November.

In order to increase awareness of the special education needs of the children of Vanuatu, the Tendys will bring together 820 senior high school children to challenge 'How Many People to Write A Story in 24 Hours'.

Each student is only permitted to write one sentence each, in a continuous story that will tell how two children, riding on a magic giant tortoise, will fly the length of Vanuatu, in order to discover pieces of a treasure map. The story will be illustrated by a Ni-Vanuatu local artist, Guy Deroin and student teachers from VITE Teachers Training College will aid. The story will be published as a hard copy book.

All the Tendys’ years of teaching experience will be put to the test, on November 19th as the challenge is made more difficult by the fact that for the great majority of the students will be writing in their third language (English). Vanuatu has roughly 156 separate languages, only second to the number in Papua New Guinea.

In 2004 the Tendys retired’ to Vanuatu, after teaching English as a second language in Hong Kong. The Tendys renovated a property and opened Seachange Lodge, a boutique 6 roomed holiday accommodation, instead of retiring. Quickly they became involved in a local community, forming YouMe Support Foundation, to help the local children gain a high school education.

Planting their ‘money where their mouth is’ they set about raffling Seachange Lodge on the Internet. Some lucky person will own the prime piece of water front real estate, Seachange Lodge for just $Au49, in December 2010.

They then came up with the idea of creating a Guinness World Challenge as part of their ongoing programme to highlight the need of the local children. In Vanuatu there is no free or compulsory education. With no 'social security system in place, many islanders are out of work and have no way of raising funds for educating their children. As Nelson Mandela declared, "The only way to make lasting change is through education".

The Guinness World Record staffs are delighted to see a small South Pacific country make a world name for itself and are hoping the challenge will succeed. A Guinness World Record adjudicator will be present on the day, to present a framed certificate, if the record is broken. The current record was created in 2007, by an Austrian group, with 797 people participating.

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Dr Wendy Stenberg-Tendys and her husband are CEO's of YouMe Support Foundation provide high school education grants for children who are without hope. You can help in this great project by taking a few minutes to check it the Tropical Island Treasure Chest at (http://winaresort.com)It will change your life.
Feel free to contact Wendy on admin@youmesuppotr.org

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