Save the Children launches response to reach children and their families in urgent need.
In less than a week, Vanuatu was hit by two back-to-back category four tropical cyclones and a 6.5 magnitude earthquake that wreaked havoc on the island nation, destroying homes, and damaging critical infrastructure such as roads, schools and hospitals.
Nearly 80% of the country’s population have been impacted, including more than 125,000 children.
Distributing shelter kits, tarpualins & hygiene kits to families in an evacuation centre in Shefa
Inside the damage
Our teams are on the ground working around the clock to support children and their families recover from these multiple disasters.
“What we’re seeing on the ground is just sheer devastation,” says Save the Children Pacific Director Kim Koch, who is based in Port Vila, Vanuatu.
“As families have started to pick up the pieces that have been left behind by Tropical Cyclone Judy and Tropical Cyclone Kevin, we’re seeing houses destroyed, some with roofs blown right off, as well as damage to critical infrastructure like roads, schools and hospitals.
“Our priority is to ensure children and their communities are safe and have adequate shelter, and that children are able to access education as well as other services to minimise the impact of the disaster on their mental health and wellbeing.”
A mother and her children from Efate in Shefa province receive a hygiene kit, a shelter kit, and a tarpaulin from Save the Children
Ready to respond
Thanks to the support of generous Kiwis like you, Save the Children is working with the Government of Vanuatu and local communities to respond to the immediate needs of children and their families. We’re providing essential supplies like hygiene items and shelter kits and setting up safe spaces for children who have been evacuated to play and recover. We’re also working to ensure children can return to school as quickly as possible with temporary classrooms and learning supplies.
But we need your help to do more.
A climate emergency is a children’s emergency
Vanuatu is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world and children across the islands have been highlighting the impact of the climate crisis on their lives as they tirelessly campaign for change. The latest emergencies are a clear signal that more must be done to address the climate crisis. Children in Vanuatu and across the Pacific have the right to live free from increasing climate-fuelled disasters.