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Why Vanuatu?

A country in need

With over 80 islands, stretching over 1,300 kilometers from top to bottom and split into six provinces, 75% of Ni-Vanuatu people live in very remote communities which creates geographical, economic, and societal issues.

Isolation: Due to the lack of adequate transportation and communication infrastructure many of the islands are only reachable by boat.

Vulnerability: The remote islands are highly exposed to the effects of climate change and natural disasters such as cyclones, floods, droughts and volcanic eruptions. These events can severely impact infrastructure, livelihoods and environment.

Inequality: The islands have unequal access to resources and opportunities in comparison to the urban areas, such as electricity, internet, infrastructure, and limited access to quality health and education.

Supply shortages: The country can experience acute shortages of water and food due to frequency of natural disasters and the effects of climate change, resulting in crop failures and disrupted supply chains.

The best response is a local response

Our ethos is centred on supporting national, provincial government and communities to empower them to achieve better outcomes for themselves. The team is locally led (80% Ni-Vanuatu staff), supported by staff with extensive experience in the South Pacific region.

We work closely with provincial teams and local chiefs, in their language(s) and within their cultural structures, to ensure that help gets to those who need it most. We are culturally sensitive when planning how this help will be delivered, and employ local nurses, electricians, data officers and marine staff (along with carefully selected senior international staff) to apply a culturally appropriate delivery of support.

During her first two years of operation, HELPR-1 visited every province three or more times annually and demonstrated its capability to provide services to each of the 63 populated islands in Vanuatu.

As a “for profit, for purpose” organisation, we reinvest profits to support those in greatest need. HELPR-1 is entirely funded by those profits and donations from private partners. But we require ongoing funding to continue our work.

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