Ellen Tamata
Ellen Tamata is the Disability Inclusion Officer at ActionAid Vanuatu, where she plays a key role in empowering women with disabilities across Vanuatu. Living with a disability herself and using a wheelchair daily, Ellen understands firsthand the barriers faced by women with disabilities in her community. When the earthquake hit Port Vila, she took immediate action to ensure that any women with disabilities in the community were safe and had access to critical information.
“The first thing we do when we call them is ask: are you okay? What is your condition now after the earthquake?” she explained. “We want to make sure they are okay to work on the ground without building trauma upon trauma.”
Through ActionAid, Ellen and other women with disabilities have received training on various skills, including technology use, disaster response and leadership development. This has enabled them to take active roles in community initiatives and breaking barriers that once kept them invisible. “When we first came, many of us did not know anything about technology because of the low literacy rates,” Ellen shared. “Now, we have learned a lot about technology and such things so that when we are placed in a response space, we can do the work because we were trained.”
Ellen’s journey as a leader for women with disabilities in Vanuatu is a testament to resilience, and the power of collective action. She believes that true inclusion starts with changing societal attitudes towards disability. “Every time we see someone with a disability, we look at their impairment. But we should look at them as a person with dignity, rights and respect.”
She strongly advocates for the principle of “Nothing About Us, Without Us” – a call for people with disabilities to be actively involved in decision-making processes that impact their lives. “Do not look at our disability, rather focus on our abilities. Do not leave anyone behind,” she urged. “The idea of disability inclusion and equity will be seen in our actions, and the reality will be seen that people with disability can lead and implement their ideas.”
Evelyn David
From Mataso Island in Vanuatu, Evelyn David’s life has been shaped by both hardship and a deep sense of community. At 53 years old and living with a disability, Evelyn carries the weight of a widowhood for the last 14 years while raising four children. But despite the struggles she has faced, it is her work with ActionAid and the WITTT Sunshine network for women living with disabilities that has brought a renewed sense of belonging and purpose to her life.
After the earthquake hit Port Vila, Evelyn was quickly summoned to begin work with the response team. As a Community Mobiliser for WITTT Sunshine, she was part of a network that was tasked with assessing damage in the community, especially for widows and single mothers. Evelyn walked door to door, collecting names, taking pictures of the destruction and reporting back the data to ActionAid to inform the emergency food distribution. “I was helping widows and single mothers, people who had lost so much,” she explained. “Some homes had cracks in the walls, outhouses had fallen, kitchens had collapsed — everywhere you looked, there was destruction.”
The challenges didn’t end there. With no electricity and contaminated water, life became even more difficult. “We couldn’t cook properly, and we had to buy water for drinking and cooking,” Evelyn recalls. For the many women who sold food at the roadside market, the financial strain was palpable. “People had lost their jobs and couldn’t buy food,” she said. “We couldn’t earn money, and that meant we couldn’t buy fresh ingredients to sell the next day.”
Despite these hardships, Evelyn found strength in her work. She had long been a part of the ActionAid program, which had taught her invaluable skills in monitoring and assisting those in need. Through her role, Evelyn learned how to approach people in distress, to listen and to understand what they needed. “I speak to them, see how they’re living and understand what they need,” she explained. “Then I report everything back to ActionAid, so they can help.” For Evelyn, this isn’t just a job — it’s a calling.
Winnie Tovo
When the ground beneath her shook violently during the earthquake, Winnie didn’t panic. She didn’t run like the others, desperate to escape the tremors. She stayed calm, focused and did what she could to help, despite the odds stacked against her. “I crawled on the floor, I couldn’t stand up,” she said. The building around her had the potential to collapse at any moment and Winnie’s priority was to stay alive. Her heart raced as she crawled, hoping to get to safety. When the quake finally subsided, Winnie’s resolve kicked in. “I immediately stood up, ran for the door and called for help.”
In the days and weeks that followed, Winnie, a woman living with disability, led the disaster response in her community of Melemaat through ActionAid Vanuatu’s WITTT Sunshine program. She joined her team in conducting assessments across the community, which was severely impacted by the earthquake. What started as a mission to assess the needs of WITTT Sunshine members expanded to include the entire population of Melemaat.
With a newfound sense of purpose, Winnie helped distribute essential supplies to people living with disabilities, and dignity kits to pregnant women, young mothers and girls. “When they came to collect food, I made sure we didn’t leave anyone behind.”
Her efforts earned her the respect of the community she had once felt invisible in. “Before I started working with WITTT Sunshine, no one in my family or community really knew what I did for a living,” she reflects. “But during the response, they saw my work and I gained a lot of respect.” This respect led to a new role for Winnie: she was asked to be a part of the local disaster committee. She stood before the chief and the entire community and shared her thoughts, a far cry from the shy woman she once was.
For Winnie, the disaster response wasn’t just about distributing food and supplies, it was about empowerment. She had been quietly watching the work of WITTT Sunshine from the sidelines before, but now she is a key player. “When I joined ActionAid and started attending workshops and training, I came out of my comfort zone,” she said with pride. “I couldn’t even speak in front of a crowd before. But now, I can say anything I want and I stand tall in spaces where both men and women are present.”
How you can help
Find out more about ActionAid’s women-led and inclusive approach to emergency response, and how you can support this work through ActionAid’s Arise Fund.