Vigilance for Vanuatu

April's Category 5 Tropical Cyclone Harold devastated the Pacific nation of Vanuatu, leaving more than 160,000 households in the country's northern region without food, fresh water or shelter.

Getting aid to those affected was complicated by COVID-19. The Vanuatu government - like those in many island nations - closed its borders in March to help prevent the pandemic's spread, cutting the island nation off from outside supplies. Being a country made up of many islands also makes aid supply transport within Vanuatu challenging.

Still determined to get aid to people there as quickly as possible, Field Ready turned to the neighboring country of Fiji - where we established our regional hub two years ago. With assistance from our Fiji-based staff and manufacturing partners Manubhai Industries and Rotomould, we began manufacturing drinking water storage buckets and emergency latrines in Fiji to have emergency sanitation supplies ready for delivery as soon as Vanuatu's border restrictions allowed. This was the first time that it was possible to make these crucial aid relief items directly in the region, after two year's work from Field Ready staff with manufacturing partners. Providing these items for this disaster response was made possible by rapid emergency funding from the Humanitarian to Humanitarian (H2H) network.

Field Ready Innovation Lead Luke Johnston then connected with our partners Sea Mercy in Fiji, who had much-needed water filters to ensure users clean, safe drinking water. Together these items could provide 30,000 people with clean drinking water and storage. We worked together to deliver two shipping containers of filters and buckets to Vanuatu in late May and mid-June, where they had to pass a 10-day quarantine procedure in the capital of Port Vila.

From there they still needed to be distributed to the islands in the country's northern region. As a result of Vanuatu border closure to international aid staff, the Vanuatu government and partners were overwhelmed distributing to the outer islands on small ships.

Source: AFP/phys.org/news/2020-04-monster-storm-pacific-lashing-vanuatu.html

Local teams led by Johnston, Virginia Craig of Port of Call and the National Disaster Management Office all pitched in together to find suitable vessels; help unpack the items from the shipping containers; and sort, count, repack and load the buckets and filters to get to the islands most in need according to emergency needs assessments.

After a month and with important help from the Vanuatu Department of Water Resources and our partners Action Aid, we delivered 750 buckets and water filters to the island of Ambae, 250 to the island of Ambrym, 750 to the island of Malekula, 1,400 to the island of Espiritu Santo (commonly known as "Santo"), 1,100 to Pentecost Island and 750 to several smaller islands.

It wasn't an easy distribution; those who helped deliver the buckets and filters to affected communities were mostly members of the Vanuatu Department of Water Resources staff - many of whom had lost their own homes to TC Harold.

"It really speaks to their dedication and great heart that they worked tirelessly to distribute these critical items when they themselves had suffered such loss," Johnston said.

The delivery might seem minor to those in developed countries, but it was lifesaving to those in northern Vanuatu for the thousands who've had almost no sanitation since April.

"The community reception has been very moving – in some places people wept with relief because they've been suffering with poor water and waterborne disease for weeks and months," said Johnston. "People were so relieved to get the products, and you realize you are really saving lives, especially of children and vulnerable people. These are the moments that make all the long hours of work and frustrations worthwhile.”

While it challenged our distribution channels, Field Ready gained some keen insight, noted Executive Director Eric James.

"We see how a simple thing like a bucket can change the fate of a family," James said. "No-one else has done this in the region (make these aid items locally in the region to shorten delivery times and cut costs) - but we did it, and now we need to keep finding ways to improve and further localize our response."

Another part of Field Ready’s relief contribution was to set up a rapid-response makerspace in Santo to make foot-operated, portable handwashing stations for displaced people still living in school and church buildings in the region. The 90 handwashing stations created at the makerspace will be distributed in the next week, Johnston said.

The latrines are currently in production for distribution in Vanuatu soon.