ActionAid Vanuatu is supporting local women to become powerful community leaders, particularly in times of crisis. Local women have the knowledge and the leverage to lead their communities. We’re equipping them with the tools and resources to build their solidarity, sisterhood and strength.

In 2015, when Cyclone Pam swept through Vanuatu, leaving a trail of devastation in its path, communities were unprepared, and the needs and experiences of women – particularly women with disability – were overlooked in the national response to the disaster. 

In the aftermath of the disaster, ActionAid supported Ni Vanuatu women on three islands to establish the Women I Tok Tok Tugeta (WITTT) Network.

The WITTT Network has become a local women-led movement that supports diverse women to prepare for disasters, strengthen their understanding of their rights, and engage with provincial and national stakeholders to ensure that their needs are being heard and reflected in decision-making on disaster planning and response. The WITTT Network now reaches over 9,000 women across five islands, including Efate, Erromango, Malekula, Malo and Tanna.

Learn more about the WITTT Network

 

The Women’s Weather Watch (WWW) was formed in 2015 as an early warning and response system for climate-related disasters. Local women took part in a series of trainings where they learnt to read weather maps and create weather warning messages in less than 160 characters.

Read about Women’s Weather Watch

Our Work in Vanuatu

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Tropical Cyclone Pam 2015

After Cyclone Pam, ActionAid set up an office in Vanuatu. Working with and being led by women across Vanuatu, they office is led entirely by Ni-Vanuatu women.

Women I Tok Tok Tugeta (WITTT)

The WITTT program brings together women in a safe space to talk about their experiences, share their stories and collectively come up with creative solutions.

Women I Tok Tok Tugeta (WITTT) Sunshine

Women I Tok Tok Tugeta (WITTT) Sunshine is a network created for and by women with disability to support their collective efforts to ensure inclusive disaster responses.

Women Wetem Weta (WWW)

The WWW program brought together women from across Vanuatu to learn more about and meteorology. They put these skills to use, using a national digital network to communicate weather messages to fellow women.

COVID-19 Response 2020

When COVID-19 threatened to spread through Vanuatu, the WITTT network mobilised to keep their communities safe. They performed health and hygiene demonstrations in Islands across Vanuatu.

Tropical Cyclone Harold 2020

In the aftermath of tropical cyclone Harold, Ni-Vanuatu women mobilised to support their sisters across the country; conducting community led assessments and distributing 1,000 dignity kits to women in need.

Girls Forums 2017-2020

By participating in Girls Forums, girls learned how to access support services and structures established by the community in Port Vila, which enabled them to feel safe and secure in and out of school.

You can support women leaders in Vanuatu and around the world today!

Together we can empower women around the world to stand up for their rights, claim their power and become community leaders in times of crisis.

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