Breaking News!!
The powerful tropical cyclone Harold made landfall in Vanuatu on Monday 6 April,
causing major devastation in its path.
In the Sanma province, houses were flattened, gardens destroyed, bridges collapsed and communications were down.
Harold strengthened even further during the day, with winds increasing up to 270 kph and gusts peaking over 300 kph, as the weather moved southeast over the island of Pentecost hours later.
The Vanuatu Government were forced to suspend social distancing measures for evacuees.
The powerful tropical cyclone Harold made landfall in Vanuatu on Monday 6 April,
causing major devastation in its path.
In the Sanma province, houses were flattened, gardens destroyed, bridges collapsed and communications were down.
Harold strengthened even further during the day, with winds increasing up to 270 kph and gusts peaking over 300 kph, as the weather moved southeast over the island of Pentecost hours later.
The Vanuatu Government were forced to suspend social distancing measures for evacuees.
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Pacific Pathways helping with the recovery and rebuild after cyclone Harold !
The founders of Pacific Pathways, Sue & David Mitchell, live on Aore Island in the Sanma Provoince, and experienced the category 5 cyclone Harold first-hand as the eye of the cyclone travelled between the island of Aore and Malo.
We woke to total devastation and chaos and witnessed the communities struggling to come to terms with it all, seeing their houses & gardens destroyed, wondering how they will manage to put food on the table.
We ask that you take a moment to think about loosing your house and everything inside.. You have no resources to rebuild your home, you have lost your garden so you cannot put food on the table, the water may run out as the dry season begins
& you have no money !
We are asking for your support to help raise funds so we can help the people of Vanuatu
As we are here on the ground on Aore Island, we realise the need for help is NOW and at the
village level so we are focusing on the
' Families First'
helping them to ensure they have food, water and shelter.
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'GIVE A LITTLE'
Please can you help by giving a little. The funds raised will be used 100 % on our recovery/rebuilding projects in Vanuatu. Please refer to our 'Give a Little' page the link below. & Thank you for helping us to make a differnce and to bring the smile back to Vanautu. |
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'Families First'
Helping with the recovery after cyclone Harold
In response cyclone Harold and the damage caused to houses and gardens, Pacific Pathways realised the need for help is at the village level, so we have set up an initiative to help the ‘Families First’.
This initiative will help and support the families and will focus on their immediate livelihoods and agricultural humanitarian needs, to restore food security, dignity & quality of life.
Our Families First initiative will focus on 150 households, over 600 people, affected by Cyclone Harold on Aore Island in the Sanma Province.
Pictured below, this family lost their sleeping house and kitchen building. The family of 5 found shelter in back of their small store. WIth the loss of their sleeping house they have also lost their catchment for water so are filling jerry cans daily. Their garden was flattened, so they are struggling to put food on the table.
This initiative will help and support the families and will focus on their immediate livelihoods and agricultural humanitarian needs, to restore food security, dignity & quality of life.
Our Families First initiative will focus on 150 households, over 600 people, affected by Cyclone Harold on Aore Island in the Sanma Province.
Pictured below, this family lost their sleeping house and kitchen building. The family of 5 found shelter in back of their small store. WIth the loss of their sleeping house they have also lost their catchment for water so are filling jerry cans daily. Their garden was flattened, so they are struggling to put food on the table.
This family lost 2 of their 3 buildings, the familiy is sleeping in the back of their small store/shop.
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Mary stands beside what is left of her garden, flattened by cyclone Harold
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FOOD
Our Families First initiative is focused on the families and their immediate livelihoods and agricultural humanitarian needs, to restore food security, dignity & quality of life. We will initiate the distribution of seeds/seedlings/cuttings of local food crops & garden tools. Facilitate sharing of existing seedlings between families in addition to supporting the reestablishment of chicken laying enclosures. This initiative has been endorsed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry, Fisheries, & Biosecurity (MALFFB) of Vanuatu. Technical training and support will be provided by the Ministry of Agriculture field officer. This will improve the communities, knowledge and skills, so they can develop successful and productive gardens to ensure food security and improved livelihoods with the sale of excess produce. Training will also improve their preparedness & resilience in case of future disasters. Families First initiative offers multiple benefits to the communities:
Families First - update June 2020
Pacific Pathways has completed the distribution of: seeds/seedlings/cuttings of local food crops & garden tools to the communities on Aore Island, helping over 150 families, 600 people. In May - we had our first demonstration workshop run by the field officer from the Ministry of Agriculture. We had a large turn out from the community. We gave out seeds, seedling trays, cuttings of local vegetables: manioc kumala, Fijian taro & island cabbage & garden tools for each family. We are hearing from the communities that everyone has been busy preparing their new gardens in preparation for the field officers return visit in July. 
John stands proudly beside his garden that he built for the seeds, seedlings and vegetable cuttings
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Cuttings of local vegetables plants from east coast Santo, for the families on Aore: Manioc, Kumala, Island Cabbage & Fijian Taro
Lina happy with her garen tools & cuttings, heading home to start her garden
Joe is busy planting the fresh vegetables cuttings they have just received
The garden workshop with the field officer from the Ministry of Agriculture & Food Security
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The families living on the western end of Aore receive their garden tools, seeds, seedling trays and vegetable cuttings
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.WATER
Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink ! As we come into the dry season we have had unseasonal rain, the damaged trees are recovering and we are seeing more new green leaves. But for many families they have lost their roofs so they have lost their catchment. After a week of no rain they have run out of drinking water. We are currently working with two of the communities on Aore who are in desperate need for water. Solution: A bore to give the communities unlimited water through all seasons. Operated by a solar water pump, which will fill an onsite water tank. Donations are greatly appreciated to help us continue our work here in Vanautu helping to bring the smile back to Vanautu 
The water tank fell down during an earthquake just a week before the cyclone. The community has limited water until this can be replaced and put back on the stand. It is water for over 200 people lilving on the escarpment on Aore
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.SHELTER
As a result of the devastation caused by cyclone Harold, most of the communities houses on Aore were destroyed or irreparably damaged. The vegetation was flattened, and many well established and strong trees have fallen down. Solution: An opportunity for the communities to set up a sawmill on Aore to mill the fallen trees so they can rebuild their houses Repair roofs with iron instead of natangora, so they will have stronger buildings, and permanent cover that will also allow them to collect water. We are currently working on setting up the Sawmill Project on Aore to help the families rebuild their houses. Donations are greatly appreciated to help us continue our working here in Vanautu helping to bring the smile back to Vanautu 
Most of the community houses on Aore were flattened or badly damaged. With no roof they have no way to collect water
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Pacific Pathways have been helping schools & kindy's (Bislama for preschool)
in Vanuatu since 2010.
Ministry of Education welcome the container No.9 full of resources: Desks, chairs & books donated by schools in Christchurch, New Zealand Feb 2018
A boy from Ban Ban School, Luganville, enjoys his new desks.
" I like my desk I can put my books inside"
Aore Yumi Kindy, Aore Island near Santo, built 2017
Vauleli Kindy, Vauleli. Rebuilt after cyleone Pam,
May 2016
Luli Kindy, east coast Paama Island
Ashburton Intermediate, New Zealand
send their love to Vanuatu after cyclone Pam, 2015.
They also had a fund raiser to help towards the cost of sending our containers of donated school furniture & resources to Vanuatu.
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1) RECYCLE - RELOCATE - RE-USE with a RENEWED purpose
What started as a small gesture of taking some books to help a school in Vanuatu has developed into a major initiative relocating school resources no longer required in New Zealand and giving them a renewed purpose helping schools and preschools in Vanuatu. In 2018, we shipped our 10th container of donated schools furniture and resources. 2) BUILD community kindy's
We continue to help build community kindy's in Vanuatu. Kindergarten ( kindy in Bislama), preschool for years 4 & 5 are the responsibility of the community. This is often difficult financially, so most kindy's in the smaller remote communities and outer islands are made with local timbers and materials. They have a short lifespan and they do not stand up to cyclone's. Our kindy project in 2017 was on Aore Island (just off Santo) The community had actively managed to raise half the amount needed to build a kindy accordingly to the specifications of the Ministry of Education in Vanuatu. Pacific Pathways helped to raise the balance for this project. The most fun part of the build was the painting the outside of the kindy. This was done by the community and it looks great. 
Aore Yumi Kindy community artwork from the sea
3) Cyclone Pam 2015 - 2018
Recovery & rebuilding of schools and kindy on Paama Island We were deeply saddened with the heart breaking news of devastation and destruction caused to many schools and kindy by cyclone Pam in Vanuatu. So we could help with the rebuild and recover of Vanuatu, we returned to Vanuatu in May 2015 with 3 containers of donated educational resources as well as tools and building materials.
After meeting with the Ministry of Education of Vanuatu, Pacific Pathways decided to focus our help on Paama Island in the Malampa Province, recognising that the smaller remote islands needed help and support. It is was a very successful and rewarding two years, especially to see the pikinini (children) returning to class and enjoying their new classrooms & resources, donated by schools and kindy's in Christchurch.
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FInd out more about our projects helping Vanautu
How to follow our project work in Vanuatu :
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Our Newsletters
Register your interest at: sue@pacificpathways.org.nz |
Facebook
I will be keeping our Facebook page up to date as our projects evolve www.facebook.com/PacificPathwaysNZ |
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