In Vanuatu, all six AHP Australian NGOs are involved in the Disaster READY program: Save the Children Australia, CARE Australia, World Vision Australia, Oxfam Australia, Plan International Australia, and Caritas Australia/CAN DO, along with their local partners.
When the community is empowered to lead its own response to disasters, and all people are included, we see better results. In Vanuatu, Disaster READY partners collaborate closely with government agencies such as the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) and with communities on disaster preparedness and planning.
Disaster risk in Vanuatu
The 2021 World Risk Index lists Vanuatu as the country with the highest disaster risk in the world. Communities in Vanuatu are at risk of volcanic eruptions, cyclones, and earthquakes, as well as drought and flooding. With a population of more than 307,000 people, Vanuatu spans more than 80 islands, most of them vulnerable to climate change-induced hazards such as sea-level rise, coastal erosion, and storm surges. Cyclones and storms across the region are predicted to become more intense in a warming climate.
Vanuatu program overview
In August 2021, the Disaster READY team in Vanuatu conducted a successful Disaster Risk Reduction and Tropical Cyclone Simulation Exercise in Canal Fanafo, Santo. Through Disaster READY, Tropical Cyclone and Disaster Risk Reduction Simulations have been carried out in 22 Vanuatu communities to test response plans and ensure that all community members understand their roles and responsibilities when disasters strike.
Inclusion is a key pillar across all Disaster READY countries. In Vanuatu, Disaster READY focuses on community-based disaster risk management and climate change adaptation, ensuring a balanced gender representation and including people with disabilities and a stronger youth voice. Activities include strengthening female leadership, governance and capacity building for community disaster and climate change committees, supporting community-based structures to drive long-term protection of women’s rights and resilience to disasters, evacuation centre management training, psychosocial first aid training, protection programming and support to women to conduct assessments and develop disaster action plans.
Disaster READY in Vanuatu aims to strengthen disaster management coordination and communication between humanitarian actors at all levels. This includes building the capacity of provincial disaster and climate change committees to respond to local disaster events, supporting provincial emergency operations centres, advancing gender, disability and social inclusion leadership and capacity within national clusters and the national disaster management office, and building humanitarian capability within provincial and national government education and training departments.
Disaster READY Achievements
As of October 2021.
Reached a total of 65,327 people.
24% children.
57% women and girls.
3% people living with disabilities.
There are new or updated Disaster Plans in place in 155 communities, and 7 churches since the start of Disaster READY.
Disaster READY Vanuatu field stories
Young people in the remote southern islands of Vanuatu are helping to protect themselves and vulnerable members of their families and communities against COVID-19, thanks to vaccines being rolled out across Tafea Province with the support of AHP partners.