Few years back a National Geographic reporter went deep into the interior of one of the many islands of Vanuatu (formerly New Hebrides) in the South Pacific. Vanuatu is a 84 island archipelago, with active volcanoes, rugged peaks and almost impassable jungles. It lies on two tectonic plates so every few days or so they have an earthquake. In spite of many of these challenges, the people ofVanuatuwere recently dubbed by United Nations the “happiest people on earth”. This reporter encountered on one of the islands a tribe that has never seen a white man, has never been documented or known by the outside world.

I was so fascinated by this story that I decided immediately that I have to go there and see with my own eyes this remote tribe. In September 2007, my brother Christian, who has sailed his sailboat from San Diego to Fiji from April to August, and I, left from Fiji by sailboat and sailed all the way to Vanuatu, first to the island of Tanna, then Erromango, and then Efate and up to Espiritu Santo. After many weeks of sea sickness, high waves, storms, squalls, etc. I managed to reach this island and I went deep in to the jungle to find the tribe. I found guides and porters as I had about 500 pounds of gifts and these people not only helped me carry the gifts but were also my guides, people who could speak into a dialect that the tribe could understand.

The trek up through the jungles and peaks was exhausting. It rained day and night for a whole week! Thunder and lightning, 3 earthquakes and 4 raging rivers were just some of the challenges. 60% peaks with huge drops around you. All this while I was carrying my cameras and the porters were carrying 500 pounds of gifts and equipment.

Eventually we made it to the tribe, whose name is KIAI people and speak two languages (Vanuatu is home to English, French and Bislama as well as 124 tribal languages) kiai and moijo. I reached 6 villages and slept in their huge huts, ate with them and found out their stories. They are incredible survivors! 30 % or their children are dying of malaria and dengue fever! Water is full of bacteria and sickness, to get water one has to climb up and down some very rugged mountains to reach good water. They have no modern tools (that is why they loved the machetes, the knives and axes I brought for them).I sat down with their chiefs and they told me if I would help this tribe. They need water, mosquito nets and tools. No food, as they grow everything and everything is very tasty.