In a press release sent out on May 8th, P&O Cruises Australia announced that the Pacific Encounter has arrived in Vanuatu with a special delivery for the Vanuatu Paralympic Committee.
Three pallets containing nearly 400 kit bags filled with thousands of items were loaded onto the ship to be donated to the Pacific Island’s Paris Paralympic hopefuls.
The sporting equipment, training gear and shoes have been donated by Paralympics Australia and includes stock from the Australian Paralympic Team’s previous campaigns.
“P&O Cruises Australia loves to give back to the destinations we visit, and Vanuatu is a favourite destination for our guests. We are proud to support the Vanuatu Paralympic Committee by ensuring these donated goods can reach people who would not otherwise be able to train, and dream of competing at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games,” said P&O Cruises Australia Senior Vice President Peter Little.
The Vanuatu Paralympic Committee has thanked P&O Cruises Australia and Paralympics Australia for their generosity.
“This has become a reality driven by the vision, imagination, commitment, and voluntary support of a legion of individuals and organisations to support Vanuatu’s Hidden People – those living with an impairment in remote villages around Vanuatu. This equipment and clothing will support their engagement in sport, improving their health outcomes, but importantly improving their own feelings of self-worth and gaining community acceptance and understanding,” said VPC President Margaret Macfarlane.
The donated goods were loaded onto Pacific Encounter in Brisbane on May 3rd and delivered to Port Vila on May 7th.
P&O Cruises Australia also supports the Vanuatu Women’s Beach Volleyball team, through our guest-funded Pacific Partnerships program. We are delighted to be cheering them on, as they aim to compete in the Paris 2024 Olympics.
