Millipede

Our Special Island

Encouraging positive attitudes to eating fresh, healthy food.

Three children stand on a woven mat near a beach, waving and smiling. One stands by a building labeled Peito, another by a sign reading Tahi, and tropical plants surround them. The ocean is visible in the background.

Insight

Health issues caused by poor eating choices are a global issue.

Our Special Island was originally developed to inspire nutritious eating habits for children in Tonga. The app and its healthy eating message is now reaching children around the world in their home languages.

Five young children in red and white school uniforms are gathered around a tablet, interacting with an educational game, while holding pens and looking focused and engaged.

Idea

By learning through digital play, children grow and collect healthy food to make delicious meals.

The immersive storytelling is guided by two children called Kelela and Pulotu, with some cooking help from Maui-Kisikisi, the youngest son of the great Polynesian hero Maui.

Aimed at 5-8 year-olds, Our Special Island acknowledges the importance of play for learning and the power of popular culture in children’s lives. The app supports creative, open-ended activities, where children fish, harvest food, chop, mix, grate and bake ingredients for healthy meals.

Two animated children sit on large green leaves by the ocean, holding drinks. Empty plates and cups are in front of them, with palm trees and blue sky in the background.

Impact

Making a health-based impact for children now and in their future.

Our Special Island has been showcased as best practice in gaming for social impact on an international scale. Winning multiple awards, including Gold in Apps for Social Change at the Indigo Awards.

Results in Tonga show a significant positive shift in children’s attitudes with a 79% increase in healthy foods being identified correctly and a 56% rise in healthy options being listed as favourites.

Available free to the public in nine languages (Tongan, English, Chinese Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, French, Italian and German), Our Special Island’s innovative fusion of digital play and learning design takes its Tongan roots to the world stage to inspire children to make and savour healthy foods.

A group of young children and two adults are gathered around a table, engaging with colorful educational materials. One adult is speaking, while the children interact with books and cards.
Two children use a tablet displaying a colorful cartoon while sitting at a wooden desk with writing practice sheets and a pencil.
Three smiling children with brown skin and dark hair wear tropical outfits and hold fruits: watermelon and mango, coconut, and a bowl of fruit salad with a pineapple, standing against a white background.

What a steal for the Kingdom of Tonga to be involved first-hand in the development of the app with Millipede. This is testament that Tonga and our other Pacific cousins make ideal testing grounds for technology. Our Special Island is our unique way of showcasing our country and this our Me’a'ofa (Gift of Love) to the world.

Joanna Bourke,
 Executive Creative Director, CocoNew – The Agency, Tonga

Devex

Using apps to target better childhood nutrition in the Pacific

Indigo Awards

Sharing food and drink with new onscreen friends Kelela and Pulotu

Download the app for free on iOS and Android.

Created by:

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