In keeping with its Blue Green Promise to support sustainable ocean communities, Royal Caribbean International has partnered with Amaro Primary School on Lelepa Island, Vanuatu, to provide needed educational resources to local students. As the only school based on Lelepa Island, Amaro Primary School has more than 70 students aged 5 to 14 and provides vital education to the island community of 500. The cruise line worked with the school and the local community to provide renovation and repair support to the school, new desks and chairs for the students, equipment such as a computers and printers, and teaching resources such as books and stationary supplies suitable for students of all ages.

Keton Meto, the school’s vice chairman, says the support from Royal Caribbean will not only benefit current students but those to come. “Amaro Primary School serves to inspire children of all ages and provides a platform for the youth of Lelepa to thrive in the local community. Resources like those provided by Royal Caribbean can be hard to come by on our island and are beneficial for our students and teachers, as well as our curriculum. We are grateful for our partnership with Royal Caribbean and thank them for their continued and meaningful support of our school.”

Royal Caribbean International Australia and New Zealand Director of Marketing Kathryn Lock says that the partnership with Amaro Primary School marks one of the many ways the cruise line is supporting local communities.

“Around the world, we know we can only be as vibrant as the places we visit. We do all we can to help support the next generation of leaders and empower the communities we visit, from investing in educational resources to supporting conservation, education training and providing skills training.” Lock continues, “In Australia, we are proud to uphold this promise locally through our partnership with Amaro Primary School. We have been very privileged to visit local communities in Vanuatu and work alongside them to identify how we can truly bring them benefit. Providing these educational supplies is a small step in helping the children of today become the leaders of tomorrow.”

In addition to the school, Royal Caribbean recently provided the South Pacific island with on-the-ground community support, including the installation of solar lights in community gathering spaces in Port Vila and the employment of local villagers to conduct beach clean-ups on Lelepa Island.

The cruise line has sailed to the South Pacific islands, including Vanuatu, for more than 14 years and will return later this year. Ovation of the Seas will sail from Sydney, starting in October, and in Brisbane, Royal Caribbean will make its debut with Quantum of the Seas from November. Quantum will offer holidaymakers a new gateway to the South Pacific directly from Queensland on 2- to 12-night cruises that visit islands such as Port Vila and Mystery Island in Vanuatu and destinations in Australia and New Zealand.

In Vanuatu, the cruise line is grateful to the local community for welcoming its guests to immerse themselves in ancient culture and its history, traditions, language and cuisine. Vanuatu’s energetic capital, Port Vila, greets holidaymakers with friendly Bislama-speaking locals and streetside markets. Travellers can explore hidden waterfalls of the Mele Cascades in the Mele Rainforest or take a 10-minute boat ride to Pele Island to discover beautiful beaches and turquoise waters for snorkelling.

The cruise line, through its parent company Royal Caribbean Group, invests in educational opportunities within local communities as part of the Blue Green Promise to inspire future generations, empower coastal communities and protect the oceans it sails. By partnering with the local community and non-profits, Royal Caribbean launched initiatives such as the STEM for Oceans initiative in Nassau, The Bahamas, that teaches students ages 5 to 16 the skills to protect and preserve coastal habitats and ecosystems. And in Haiti, Royal Caribbean established and continues to support L’Ecole Nouvelle, a primary school near its private destination, Labadee, that educates more than 300 children from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.

More about Royal Caribbean Group’s Blue Green Promise, one of the ways the cruise company supports the local communities it visits, is available at www.RoyalCaribbeanGroup/BlueGreenPromise.