Friends of Tonga is working to support educational efforts in the Kingdom of Tonga. FoT is intimately aware of the educational challenges affecting students in Tonga. These challenges include limited educational resources, few native English speakers, and inadequate physical spaces for optimal early-childhood learning.
In collaboration with the Tongan Ministry of Education, local communities, education and development professionals, and the United States Peace Corps, FoT designed and implemented four successful programs and projects to mitigate these challenges and target various educational needs: 1) a free video read-aloud library, where students and educators can download children's books (with authors’ approval), which are read by native English speakers and accompanied with aligned materials, augmenting English-language service delivery; 2) a scholarship program to cover the costs of high school tuition for needy students; 3) a pen pal program that connects Tongan students with international classrooms to provide meaningful and authentic writing exchanges; and 4) the building of cyclone-resistant kindergartens to support early-childhood education.
In today’s globalized world, Friends of Tonga’s members and stakeholders are dispersed throughout the world (Australia, New Zealand, USA, England, Canada, Vanuatu, Samoa, Thailand, and of course Tonga to name a few). With social media and virtual-meeting software, we have held numerous virtual events, which include personal memoirs, documentary discussions, and virtual kava sessions, which has allowed Friends of Tonga to cultivate a rich and engaged community.
Moreover, with the advent of high-speed internet in Tonga, connecting stakeholders with our programs has become easier and is one of the primary ways of marshaling support for our mission and raising awareness of current events in the Tongan community.
We look forward to hosting more events in the near future.
Have an idea about a potential event? Email us or message us on our Facebook page!
Cultural Exchange Programs: FOT is working to promote the understanding of other cultures through the pen-pal project which connects students in Tonga and the US.
Friends of Tonga is always excited to hear new and different ideas for projects! If you have an idea for an event or project please contact us at friendsoftonga2018@gmail.com