Helping children and families in Vanuatu recover from disasters
Category Four Tropical Cyclones Judy and Kevin struck Vanuatu between 1 March and 3 March 2023, directly impacting more than 80% of the country’s population of about 320,000 people. The widespread destruction, which included thousands of destroyed or damaged homes, schools, and food gardens, prompted the Government of Vanuatu to declare a six-month national state of emergency.
Why children in Vanuatu need our support
In every disaster, children are among the most vulnerable and in the wake of back-to-back cyclones, many children were left without shelter, access to clean water, food, or education. The trauma from such a disaster poses significant risks to their mental health and development, necessitating immediate and targeted intervention to ensure their safety, well-being, and continued access to education and essential services.
Save the Children’s emergency response
Save the Children responded swiftly to the disaster in Vanuatu. Our efforts included conducting rapid assessments to determine the most urgent needs, establishing temporary learning spaces to minimise educational disruption, and distributing essential supplies such as hygiene kits, tarpaulins, and blankets.
We also focused on child protection by setting up child-friendly spaces in evacuation centres and proving psychosocial support to help children cope with the trauma.
Vanuatu’s recovery from the March cyclones was hampered by the early arrival of the next cyclone season in October 2023. Tropical Cyclone Lola, the earliest Category Five Cyclone on record in the southern hemisphere and only the seventh pre-season cyclone since 1970, killed two people and again caused destruction.
With support from New Zealand’s Disaster Response Partnership and START Fund, we were also able to deploy a mobile health and protection team to remote communities in Vanuatu. This team provided essential medical services, psychosocial support, and specialised care, ensuring that children received the help they needed to recover and thrive.
Additional support from the Disaster Response Partnership enabled us to provide essential agricultural support to families so they could restore their gardens. Seeds, cuttings for key crops, and fruit tree saplings have been distributed.
In collaboration with the Vanuatu Government and other partners, we are also helping schools and communities develop disaster preparedness plans and conduct emergency drills through our Seif Skul programme. These initiatives are crucial as climate change increases the frequency and intensity of cyclones across the Pacific.
How we know we’re making a difference
Our response has helped communities in Vanuatu recover when disaster strikes.
Our mobile health teams provided care to more than 3000 adults and 3300 children with support from local nurses with services including malnutrition checks for children; women’s health checks; dental services; eye health care and general medical services.
Who makes our programme possible
Our response to the dual cyclone disaster in Vanuatu was made possible through the generous support of the New Zealand’s Disaster Response Partnership and START Fund, alongside our donors, partners, and dedicated team members.
Collaborations with the National Disaster Management Office, Ministry of Education, and local organisations ensured that our efforts were coordinated and effective.
The commitment and hard work of our staff, both on the ground and behind the scenes, played a crucial role in delivering timely and impactful assistance to the children and families affected by the cyclones.
Save the Children works in partnership with the Vanuatu Government.
