binocular donation: USA --> Taveuni,Fiji. Need someone to deliver binos!

Hi,

I am looking for someone who is traveling from the USA to Taveuni to deliver a donation of a couple pairs of binoculars to a ecoproject in Lavena. It is very expensive to ship them, and I have been told it is likely they would get stolen from the mail anyway. You wouldn't need to go to Lavena (though I'd recommend it!); if you just give the box to the bus driver he'll take them (Lavena is at the end of the route & where the bus driver sleeps).

Background: My husband and I stayed for ~2 weeks at the Lavena lodge on Taveuni in April and had a wonderful time. Our time in Lavena was the highlight of our trip; you can read reviews on Trip Advisor for the coastal walk and the lodge to get the idea.

We were very impressed with the long-running eco-tourism project that is collectively managed by several of the coastal towns. While we were there we came to know some of the guides and local people running the project, and realized they would really appreciate having some binoculars. This is a place where many international birders come to see the orange dove, silktail, etc. but they of course bring their own binoculars & then leave. I spent enough time with a couple of the guides to know that they would appreciate and care for binoculars, and use them to further their own knowledge about how & where the birds are living.

So I left motivated to find at least a couple pairs of binoculars to send them. I'm getting my bino repaired, and I will send out a call to our local birding listserv to hopefully get a couple more pairs. If you have binoculars to donate (or connections with an organization that would like to donate binoculars), please also contact me!

Edited by: ericavm