Vanuatu, an Oceanic country of more than 80 volcanic islands, has a population of 334,506 people as of 2023. However, around 15.9% of the population lived below the poverty line in 2020 as a result of the high risk of natural disasters and rapid population growth, which has put a strain on health and education services. Many organizations are helping the people of Vanuatu by empowering them to break out of poverty, which will positively affect future generations. Below are three organizations helping the people of Vanuatu.

Progress Pikinini

Progress Pikinini is a charity dedicated to giving the children of Vanuatu a brighter future. Founded in 2015 after Cyclone Pam’s devastation, it provided schools and children with essential education tools and everyday items such as clothes, shoes, bed linen and toys. The organization also donates school supplies, arts and crafts materials and funds for special projects. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, it has focused on country-wide initiatives, including building play equipment and libraries, educational resource projects for schools and providing clean drinking water.

CARE Australia

CARE Australia is an international nonprofit organization that assists people experiencing poverty, empowers women and girls in their local communities and helps them achieve social justice and break the cycle of poverty. It works with local communities to provide equal opportunities for women, such as earning an income, gaining access to a fair share of resources, leading and participating in decisions affecting their lives and aiding climate disasters and other crises.

In Vanuatu, CARE’s Leftemap Sista project aims to help girls live without constant fear of violence, earn an income and make decisions about their lives. Operating in Tafea and Shefa, the project focuses on young single mothers, girls who have not finished school, survivors of violence and women living with disabilities.

CARE also helps communities in Vanuatu prepare for future disasters and the impacts of varying climatic conditions by establishing and training local disaster committees, conducting disaster simulations, providing First Aid training and trialing new disease-resistant crop varieties. Due to the drought and water shortages caused by El Niño in 2016, CARE has been working with local communities to rehabilitate water systems. It has also constructed toilets and run hygiene and sanitation classes in schools, focusing on menstrual hygiene for girls.

Save the Children

Save the Children is an international organization founded in 1919 that focuses on children’s rights. It supports health, education, child protection, emergency response to natural disasters, adverse weather adaptation and disaster risk reduction. Operating in Vanuatu for 40 years, Save the Children has worked with the government to strengthen the education system.

Save the Children has partnered with the Global Partnership for Education to ensure schools are well-resourced and effective learning environments for all children, including those with disabilities. The organization provides life-saving food, shelter kits and learning resources in natural disasters. It collaborates with the government to strengthen disaster response and preparedness. Additionally, Save the Children has introduced health care initiatives that include training local health care providers, strengthening health care systems and promoting preventive care, such as providing vaccinations for curable diseases.

In March 2023, Vanuatu was hit by category four cyclones that destroyed food gardens and homes, prompting the government to declare a six-month state of emergency. In response, Save the Children launched a food preservation project involving the growing, harvesting and exporting of local foods to Vanuatu’s capital, Port Vila. There, the food is transformed into shelf-ready ration-pack meals that can be stored for up to two years, ensuring preparedness for future natural disasters.

Looking Ahead

Vanuatu is working toward ending poverty with the help of international organizations and innovative approaches to disaster response and preparedness. Nonprofits such as Progress Pikinini, CARE Australia and Save the Children Australia have significantly contributed by offering support and providing vital resources for the people of Vanuatu to thrive. As a result of international aid and help from the government of Vanuatu, the country is on a path toward a more prosperous future for its citizens.

– Kimran Gill

Kimran is based in Leicester, UK and focuses on Celebs and World News for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr