Volunteers Scott and Myra Erickson in front of home, Nukulaelae atoll, August 1980. The home was local style with thatch roof, open walls, and gravel floor covered with mats typical of the type provided to civil servants working on the outer islands. Nukulaelae, one of the smallest atolls in Tuvalu with a population of about 300, is located approximately 70 miles south of the capital, Funafuti.