Tonight we are on the way to the airport to pick up Major Paul Westlake from the United Kingdom. This is a significant moment in the Vanuatu response, as I now move from Team Leader into handover mode. I have until Monday lunch time to bring Paul up to speed on 10 projects across five islands and try and help him into the role as best as possible.
This afternoon was also significant. It's not often that there is a ceremonial handover of items and demonstration of appreciation. But today it happened in a nice way.
The principal of Vila North School, Elina, had invited us to a small ceremony to hand over the items that have procured - sports equipment, tarpaulins for the teacher's homes, building materials to fix their toilets and roofs and curriculum materials for the teachers.
We arrived to find that there was a stage with appreciation certificates, the local TV crew and newspaper, and front row seats for Craig and I, along with Samaritan's Purse and UNICEF who were also thanked for their support. There were speeches from the principal and school council president, speeches from the NGOs (I think we each spoke for 30 seconds max), prayers from the school teachers and parents and then some food. Quite a memorable occasion to share in.
Elina felt that she needed to hold this appreciation ceremony before they could start to use the materials. The actual reconstruction works that we are supporting now start in earnest and it is hoped that by the end of next week we (well, Paul and the new team) will be able to handover both of the repaired toilet blocks to the students and staff of the school.
Wednesday 27 May 2015
Saturday 23 May 2015
Vanuatu 24
A few little victories this week...
The 50,000L Bladder donated to the people of Vanuatu through The Salvation Army by Snowy Hydro was finally installed yesterday and filled with water today. It is situated behind a major marketplace on Tanna assisting people who come to the market and also the students and staff of the Presbyterian School next door.
The materials we need to fix the kindergarten in Erakor have been identified and a builder found.
The first 45 people to receive the brand new houses on Tanna have been identified and the team have been conducted 'build back safer' training with others.
Our warehouse in Vila now has a frame on the slab and should be finished within a week or so.
We have seen the freezers and fishing boats that we have provided in use.
We had a corps in Sydney volunteer to support the construction of a new Salvation Army shelter on Tanna - soon to be the third Salvation Army congregation in the country. This is not something that IES can normally do, as church structures (unless they are community halls or used as evacuation centres) fall outside the humanitarian role we play, so it's good to have another supporter.
And a few set backs....
In my last post I mentioned our vehicle. Turns out it can't be registered because it's unroadworthy. In the meantime we've rented a car from "Hertz" to get by. (Mind you, I'm enjoying the suspension, air conditioning, working mirrors and windows and padding on the front seat!).
Also, some of the projects that we are proposing for the next team are being held up by technical issues, e.g. how much wattage and how many devices are drawing down on our solar panels at the health centre in Green Hill, and how will this affect size, cost and shipping of the solar system.
And, because there hasn't been clarity around some of our funding, (and because the focus has shifted to other places), we've had to put a hold on new works. This is really frustrating. There's an island called Maewo that is small and remote to the north. It is out of the normal operating area of a lot of the NGOs. They need a range of assistance, but only in small quantities - e.g. four homes need help to repair, 30 families need some seeds to replant, there's one outreach health centre that needs new water tanks and guttering. Because it is a small but diverse project, it's perfectly suited to our team. We can't volunteer for the job, however, because of a lack of clarity around how much money we've got left! Please pray that IHQ and our team can work this out in coming days.
All that said, it's been an interesting week, as usual, and one where I continue to learn and reflect even on my own attitudes to things. Today, for example, I had a few hours spare and I figured it was my last chance to go and find some gifts for the family. When I got downtown, I noticed that the place was overrun with people from the cruise ship in the bay. All at once I felt elated for the local shop keepers that get income, and really annoyed that because the ship was in the prices of everything would double (or triple) for the day (a bit selfish really).
Time is winding down. I'll be back in Perth in just over a week, and while I'm looking forward to a rest, I know that's not going to happen in week two of the Red Shield Appeal. We'll see how we go.
The 50,000L Bladder donated to the people of Vanuatu through The Salvation Army by Snowy Hydro was finally installed yesterday and filled with water today. It is situated behind a major marketplace on Tanna assisting people who come to the market and also the students and staff of the Presbyterian School next door.
The materials we need to fix the kindergarten in Erakor have been identified and a builder found.
The first 45 people to receive the brand new houses on Tanna have been identified and the team have been conducted 'build back safer' training with others.
Our warehouse in Vila now has a frame on the slab and should be finished within a week or so.
We have seen the freezers and fishing boats that we have provided in use.
We had a corps in Sydney volunteer to support the construction of a new Salvation Army shelter on Tanna - soon to be the third Salvation Army congregation in the country. This is not something that IES can normally do, as church structures (unless they are community halls or used as evacuation centres) fall outside the humanitarian role we play, so it's good to have another supporter.
And a few set backs....
In my last post I mentioned our vehicle. Turns out it can't be registered because it's unroadworthy. In the meantime we've rented a car from "Hertz" to get by. (Mind you, I'm enjoying the suspension, air conditioning, working mirrors and windows and padding on the front seat!).
Also, some of the projects that we are proposing for the next team are being held up by technical issues, e.g. how much wattage and how many devices are drawing down on our solar panels at the health centre in Green Hill, and how will this affect size, cost and shipping of the solar system.
And, because there hasn't been clarity around some of our funding, (and because the focus has shifted to other places), we've had to put a hold on new works. This is really frustrating. There's an island called Maewo that is small and remote to the north. It is out of the normal operating area of a lot of the NGOs. They need a range of assistance, but only in small quantities - e.g. four homes need help to repair, 30 families need some seeds to replant, there's one outreach health centre that needs new water tanks and guttering. Because it is a small but diverse project, it's perfectly suited to our team. We can't volunteer for the job, however, because of a lack of clarity around how much money we've got left! Please pray that IHQ and our team can work this out in coming days.
All that said, it's been an interesting week, as usual, and one where I continue to learn and reflect even on my own attitudes to things. Today, for example, I had a few hours spare and I figured it was my last chance to go and find some gifts for the family. When I got downtown, I noticed that the place was overrun with people from the cruise ship in the bay. All at once I felt elated for the local shop keepers that get income, and really annoyed that because the ship was in the prices of everything would double (or triple) for the day (a bit selfish really).
Time is winding down. I'll be back in Perth in just over a week, and while I'm looking forward to a rest, I know that's not going to happen in week two of the Red Shield Appeal. We'll see how we go.
Tuesday 19 May 2015
Vanuatu 23
One of the most successful schemes that we have created here has been a hardware store voucher for people in the Tagabe area. This allowed them to purchase up to 30000 Vatu of goods (around $354 AUD/ $300 USD) for roofing, tools, household items - whatever they needed.
For some it was simply to help repair their roofs that were lifted by the cyclone. However, as this area is on a river bed, and experienced storm surge that flooded many homes, it also helped people to replace items that literally washed away.
Of the 154 families that received a voucher, 153 redeemed it for goods. We understand that the other family has been away from home because of a family death in another part of the country. All of the items purchased were within the expectations of housing items, repair tools and household repairs. A monitoring survey of the street showed the various ways in which people were now getting on with self-repair and also helping each other. One or two families that brought chainsaws with their voucher are helping to clear their neighbours yards of the remaining trees that the cyclone toppled.
We closed of this program yesterday and are preparing an appreciation certificate for the hardware store that supported us. While they obviously did very well out of the program, they were also very supportive and patient with the idea that we were going to be sending 154 separate people seeking out approx. $54,000 AUD of items, on our account!
Today the team have split up again. Three of the guys are on Tanna, preparing to run community meetings and identify the first beneficiaries of our permanent shelter reconstructions. They will also be monitoring the use of the fishing gear that we have deployed to the island and checking in with a medical centre that we hope to assist to reopen.
The rest of us here on Efate will be picking up some new sports gear for two of the schools we are working with, and looking into a new vehicle for the team. The one we currently have is owned by a lady who won't sign our cash vouchers, won't provide current registration for the car, and worst of all won't show up with the car when we actually need it, say to take people to the airport. Hoping we can work this out and get on with our work.
For some it was simply to help repair their roofs that were lifted by the cyclone. However, as this area is on a river bed, and experienced storm surge that flooded many homes, it also helped people to replace items that literally washed away.
Of the 154 families that received a voucher, 153 redeemed it for goods. We understand that the other family has been away from home because of a family death in another part of the country. All of the items purchased were within the expectations of housing items, repair tools and household repairs. A monitoring survey of the street showed the various ways in which people were now getting on with self-repair and also helping each other. One or two families that brought chainsaws with their voucher are helping to clear their neighbours yards of the remaining trees that the cyclone toppled.
We closed of this program yesterday and are preparing an appreciation certificate for the hardware store that supported us. While they obviously did very well out of the program, they were also very supportive and patient with the idea that we were going to be sending 154 separate people seeking out approx. $54,000 AUD of items, on our account!
Today the team have split up again. Three of the guys are on Tanna, preparing to run community meetings and identify the first beneficiaries of our permanent shelter reconstructions. They will also be monitoring the use of the fishing gear that we have deployed to the island and checking in with a medical centre that we hope to assist to reopen.
The rest of us here on Efate will be picking up some new sports gear for two of the schools we are working with, and looking into a new vehicle for the team. The one we currently have is owned by a lady who won't sign our cash vouchers, won't provide current registration for the car, and worst of all won't show up with the car when we actually need it, say to take people to the airport. Hoping we can work this out and get on with our work.
Saturday 16 May 2015
Vanuatu 22
This week I have some confirmation around the handover to the new team leader here and when I will return home. Paul Westlake arrives from the UK on May 27 and I have four days with him to brief him and show him around, before returning to Perth on June 1. (Although I actually arrive just after midnight on the morning of June 2).
I have to acknowledge in this that there is a real gift being made to the people of Vanuatu by my family and my Corps. While I don't over-estimate my own importance, I do understand the sacrifice that's made by Angela, especially, so I can serve here.
It's been a rough end to the week, in some respects. We have been working hard to try and capitalise on the visible presence of The Salvation Army through IES for the long term future of The Salvation Army in Vanuatu. Our congregations here have enjoyed this boost from afar, and there was hope for a development presence to continue after our teams exit in late July.
Sadly, the news isn't good. The development office of the Australia Eastern territory have indicated that at this stage there is no external or internal funding available for development work in Vanuatu. If there is to be an ongoing developmental presence it will be dependant on the eventual availability of internally generated self-denial funds, and probably a partnership with another agency who can monitor projects for the territory in country. This sets us back, for at least a time.
One of the greatest hindrances to our work here has been that The Salvation Arm is yet to officially recognise the congregations that we have here and register the movement in Vanuatu. We can't purchase and hold property, a vehicle for example, or enter leases, because The Salvation Army doesn't legally exist here. This is another reason that ongoing development work will be hard - it's hard to maintain a presence that doesn't technically exist.
Please pray for a way forward in this area. Our IES team have provided The Salvation Army's Sydney headquarters and International Headquarters in London with the legal paperwork required to register The Salvation Army here. We know it's not that simple though; once the movement is legally registered here, it needs to be officially maintained and that takes a lot more work than letting a couple of thriving congregations do their own thing.
I have to acknowledge in this that there is a real gift being made to the people of Vanuatu by my family and my Corps. While I don't over-estimate my own importance, I do understand the sacrifice that's made by Angela, especially, so I can serve here.
It's been a rough end to the week, in some respects. We have been working hard to try and capitalise on the visible presence of The Salvation Army through IES for the long term future of The Salvation Army in Vanuatu. Our congregations here have enjoyed this boost from afar, and there was hope for a development presence to continue after our teams exit in late July.
Sadly, the news isn't good. The development office of the Australia Eastern territory have indicated that at this stage there is no external or internal funding available for development work in Vanuatu. If there is to be an ongoing developmental presence it will be dependant on the eventual availability of internally generated self-denial funds, and probably a partnership with another agency who can monitor projects for the territory in country. This sets us back, for at least a time.
One of the greatest hindrances to our work here has been that The Salvation Arm is yet to officially recognise the congregations that we have here and register the movement in Vanuatu. We can't purchase and hold property, a vehicle for example, or enter leases, because The Salvation Army doesn't legally exist here. This is another reason that ongoing development work will be hard - it's hard to maintain a presence that doesn't technically exist.
Please pray for a way forward in this area. Our IES team have provided The Salvation Army's Sydney headquarters and International Headquarters in London with the legal paperwork required to register The Salvation Army here. We know it's not that simple though; once the movement is legally registered here, it needs to be officially maintained and that takes a lot more work than letting a couple of thriving congregations do their own thing.
Tuesday 12 May 2015
Vanuatu 21
This is not really a Vanuatu update. And given that this is not intended to be a political blog, I'll keep this brief.
The discussion among NGOs and other groups in Vila today has been the Australian budget. Countries like Vanuatu, very small, fragile and vulnerable to natural disaster, are dependant on countries like Australia. Think, if you will, a city the size of Geelong having to deal with a major cyclone, earthquake or volcanic eruption every other year, and deal with rising sea levels at the same time... And then spread that city over 83 islands. That's Vanuatu.
Today's news therefore has not been good. The cuts announced this evening have not surprised our sector, but will devastate it nonetheless. Tonight Australia's government decided to give less, proportionally, than it has ever given in our proud history of supporting overseas development.
In real terms it means that people, in countries like Vanuatu, will not receive the support they need. Reconstruction programs following natural disasters will not happen. Important educational, developmental and health programs across a range of countries that neighbour Australia will be cut.
I'm sure that there are measures within Australia that will raise concern as well. I have read of the planned activity test for child support and wonder how that is going to play out for families.
I'm sure that there is a need to find a way to balance the budget in the longer term, and this will mean compromises every time. Hurting the most vulnerable should not be the way this happens.
The discussion among NGOs and other groups in Vila today has been the Australian budget. Countries like Vanuatu, very small, fragile and vulnerable to natural disaster, are dependant on countries like Australia. Think, if you will, a city the size of Geelong having to deal with a major cyclone, earthquake or volcanic eruption every other year, and deal with rising sea levels at the same time... And then spread that city over 83 islands. That's Vanuatu.
Today's news therefore has not been good. The cuts announced this evening have not surprised our sector, but will devastate it nonetheless. Tonight Australia's government decided to give less, proportionally, than it has ever given in our proud history of supporting overseas development.
In real terms it means that people, in countries like Vanuatu, will not receive the support they need. Reconstruction programs following natural disasters will not happen. Important educational, developmental and health programs across a range of countries that neighbour Australia will be cut.
I'm sure that there are measures within Australia that will raise concern as well. I have read of the planned activity test for child support and wonder how that is going to play out for families.
I'm sure that there is a need to find a way to balance the budget in the longer term, and this will mean compromises every time. Hurting the most vulnerable should not be the way this happens.
Monday 11 May 2015
Vanuatu 20
So the night is settling in, and for the first time in around a week it is not raining. It's coming up to 8 pm, which, sad to say, is when most of the team go to bed to read. It gets a little boring in the evenings here. Unless you go out for a meal or to visit people, there's nothing to do except read or, if you're lucky, do some internet surfing. I've seen two football matches at the pub in the last few weeks - the sum total of TV I've watched since March 22.
I can contrast that with quite an eventful day. We have another island that we've been asked to assist over the weekend. It is the island of Mataso, with only 200 inhabitants, around 60km (as the crow flies) north of Port Vila.
The people of Mataso were evacuated when TC Pam struck and have not been able to return because of the damage to thier homes and infrastructure. IOM (International Office of Migration) have been coordinating efforts to return the 37 families to thier homes.
The Salvation Army is assisting by replacing their fishing gear and providing tarpaulins to go around their toilets (for privacy mostly). We are also providing water containers and water purification tablets, and sending some of our team out on Wednesday to check on hygiene and sanitation and provide education materials for children on what we call WASH in the humanitarian game (all things Water Sanitation and Hygiene).
Today the group of us still in Vila (three of my team are currently staying on Tanna Island and on Wed I need to go down to Aneityum Island) were busy procuring missing items, getting things from warehouses, arranging deliveries to the wharf and making deals with other agencies that had gear we could use.
This, as with all things, will be an adventure for Phil and Lilyrose as they will travel to Mataso on the Solomon Islands Patrol Vessell, the Akui, which is on loan to the Ni-Vanuatu government.
Thursday 7 May 2015
Vanuatu 19
For a few on the team, it's been an eventful day or two. Craig tells me that the trip to Tanna on the Touaraken was like your worst experience times 1000. Apparently Darren threw up for 24 hours. At least all of our gear has arrived and the team are safe, albeit recovering.
For the rest of us, it's very quiet in Vila. Frustratingly quiet. It has rained very heavily (so heavy you can't see the house across the driveway) for the last few days and there's been little we can do. The admin is even drying up, so I spent a bit of yesterday afternoon reading a novel! I'm hoping that today we get some quotes for the works we want to do at the Erakor school, and can get out to do some procurement ready for the next stage of our projects.
The good news is that there is a new team leader available from May 29. We are still negotiating whether I will be here for a handover day or whether I need to come home earlier.
In the meantime, we get to spend some time reflecting. I've got to say that this has not been your regular disaster, in that the people here are the friendliest, most patient and most gracious people that I think I've ever met.
Even when they hold a protest, they just show up and sit on the lawn to wait for someone to speak to them. When we are distributing essential emergency materials, they sit and wait in line. Whenever we visit a home we are welcomed and blessed. We can't even walk down the street in the evening without dozens of people wishing us 'good night'. It all makes for a calm and pleasant experience, even amid the urgency of an emergency.
For the rest of us, it's very quiet in Vila. Frustratingly quiet. It has rained very heavily (so heavy you can't see the house across the driveway) for the last few days and there's been little we can do. The admin is even drying up, so I spent a bit of yesterday afternoon reading a novel! I'm hoping that today we get some quotes for the works we want to do at the Erakor school, and can get out to do some procurement ready for the next stage of our projects.
The good news is that there is a new team leader available from May 29. We are still negotiating whether I will be here for a handover day or whether I need to come home earlier.
In the meantime, we get to spend some time reflecting. I've got to say that this has not been your regular disaster, in that the people here are the friendliest, most patient and most gracious people that I think I've ever met.
Even when they hold a protest, they just show up and sit on the lawn to wait for someone to speak to them. When we are distributing essential emergency materials, they sit and wait in line. Whenever we visit a home we are welcomed and blessed. We can't even walk down the street in the evening without dozens of people wishing us 'good night'. It all makes for a calm and pleasant experience, even amid the urgency of an emergency.
Tuesday 5 May 2015
Vanuatu 18
The last few days have been quiet on the work front, while we are waiting for project approvals and for quotes to come in from suppliers.
Each time we propose a new program or set of activities, I need to write it into a project, send it to London where they hold a CAG (crisis action group) to approve the project and allocate funds from a donor territory. Funds are getting tight at the moment as focus has well and truly moved (rightly) to Nepal. That said, we get excellent turnaround from CAGs as they understand the need for action. And, to be honest, they do forgive a certain amount of emergency action prior to approval.
It's also been a little quiet because the whole team have been in Vila, meaning the workload is spread between a bunch of us.
So today we had the chance to all go to wharf to load a ferry that's taking some of our project materials down to Tanna and Anatom. We are shipping rice and seeds to the school on Anatom, and a whole range of things to Tanna: fishing boats, reels, rope, fuel, seeds, jerry cans, solar powered freezers, even hygiene education brochures in Bislama.
We also put three of our team on the boat as it's the cheapest way to travel between islands, and we had it on good advice that if we sent valuable materials on this service, it's good to accompany them. We've been winding the guys up all week - it is a bit of a rust bucket that they're on - but I think we're all secretly jealous. It will be a bit of an adventure, and certainly more interesting than some of the government meetings I find myself in.
Each time we propose a new program or set of activities, I need to write it into a project, send it to London where they hold a CAG (crisis action group) to approve the project and allocate funds from a donor territory. Funds are getting tight at the moment as focus has well and truly moved (rightly) to Nepal. That said, we get excellent turnaround from CAGs as they understand the need for action. And, to be honest, they do forgive a certain amount of emergency action prior to approval.
It's also been a little quiet because the whole team have been in Vila, meaning the workload is spread between a bunch of us.
So today we had the chance to all go to wharf to load a ferry that's taking some of our project materials down to Tanna and Anatom. We are shipping rice and seeds to the school on Anatom, and a whole range of things to Tanna: fishing boats, reels, rope, fuel, seeds, jerry cans, solar powered freezers, even hygiene education brochures in Bislama.
We also put three of our team on the boat as it's the cheapest way to travel between islands, and we had it on good advice that if we sent valuable materials on this service, it's good to accompany them. We've been winding the guys up all week - it is a bit of a rust bucket that they're on - but I think we're all secretly jealous. It will be a bit of an adventure, and certainly more interesting than some of the government meetings I find myself in.
Saturday 2 May 2015
Vanuatu 17
Today was a day of contrasts.
We were out early to the wharf where we have booked a fair space on the Touraken ferry. The ferry leaves Monday for multiple islands in the south. Cargo had to be loaded today ready for Monday's departure (the wharf being closed Sunday).
We loaded over a tonne of rice to go to the high school on Anatom. We also loaded fishing boats, tackle, solar powered freezers, batteries, jerry cans, seeds and a range of up hygiene education materials for our projects on Tanna. On Monday, three of our team will lave with the Touraken for the overnight trip to Tanna to unload.
After that we visited a local NGO, the Butterfly Trust, who are working north of Efate. Through a partnership deal we gave them some of our tarpaulins - a few of whom ironically and to go back to the wharf to cover their materials that will be left on the dock during Sunday's closure!
One of the other agencies we've worked closely with this week is the International Office of Migration. They found some families living in an abandoned shed who couldn't affford to restore their homes so they could return. We were able to provide them with hardware materials thorough our voucher scheme and also purchase household items, so they can start to fix things ready for going home. They are from the village of Ferarri (I love the names of places here. Our car is garaged at Beverly Hills. The Tagabe Outpost is at 21 Jump Street...)
We finished the day by hiring some ocean kayaks from the nearby resort (only cost $5 each) and going for a paddle. Google maps suggests we paddled about 6-7km. We're sore! Just when we got through the heads to come back through the lagoon to the resort, two of us were dumped. I landed on coral, cut my foot and lost my drink bottle and half of the snorkel gear I'd borrowed. Alastair lost his glasses (made for an interesting paddle back) and snorkel gear. Thankfully he didn't lose my dri-bag that he had on his kayak with his phone and our snacks in it. It was a great day, but it's meant everyone's gone to bed early. It's 9pm and I'm last to turn in. Which nonetheless is happening now.
We were out early to the wharf where we have booked a fair space on the Touraken ferry. The ferry leaves Monday for multiple islands in the south. Cargo had to be loaded today ready for Monday's departure (the wharf being closed Sunday).
We loaded over a tonne of rice to go to the high school on Anatom. We also loaded fishing boats, tackle, solar powered freezers, batteries, jerry cans, seeds and a range of up hygiene education materials for our projects on Tanna. On Monday, three of our team will lave with the Touraken for the overnight trip to Tanna to unload.
After that we visited a local NGO, the Butterfly Trust, who are working north of Efate. Through a partnership deal we gave them some of our tarpaulins - a few of whom ironically and to go back to the wharf to cover their materials that will be left on the dock during Sunday's closure!
One of the other agencies we've worked closely with this week is the International Office of Migration. They found some families living in an abandoned shed who couldn't affford to restore their homes so they could return. We were able to provide them with hardware materials thorough our voucher scheme and also purchase household items, so they can start to fix things ready for going home. They are from the village of Ferarri (I love the names of places here. Our car is garaged at Beverly Hills. The Tagabe Outpost is at 21 Jump Street...)
We finished the day by hiring some ocean kayaks from the nearby resort (only cost $5 each) and going for a paddle. Google maps suggests we paddled about 6-7km. We're sore! Just when we got through the heads to come back through the lagoon to the resort, two of us were dumped. I landed on coral, cut my foot and lost my drink bottle and half of the snorkel gear I'd borrowed. Alastair lost his glasses (made for an interesting paddle back) and snorkel gear. Thankfully he didn't lose my dri-bag that he had on his kayak with his phone and our snacks in it. It was a great day, but it's meant everyone's gone to bed early. It's 9pm and I'm last to turn in. Which nonetheless is happening now.
Wednesday 29 April 2015
Vanuatu 16
Really, I should be going to bed. I've just finished some admin at the end of a 14 hour work day that included some serious jungle trekking and I'm rather tired.
But I'm struck by some things worth sharing.
I sat with a school principal, his lead secondary teacher and one of my IES colleagues in an outdoor meeting today because the school (at Erakor, Efate Island) has so staff room remaining. We were able to clearly see where the school oval was, where children - a large group - were playing football.
With a paper ball.
They have no football.
It's the simplest thing, but it stood out to me. I had already seen the school kitchen - a log for a bench and a fire on the ground for cooking outdoors - I had already seen the destroyed classrooms on a few occasions but it was the lack of a ball that seemed so significant and memorable.
Needless to say that as well as fixing the school toilets, rebuilding their kindergarten and replacing some school books, I'm throwing sports gear into our school project! It's actually, from a theoretical standpoint, brilliant for school retention and morale; obviously, though, it just seems (to my Western mind) an easy and cheap thing to fix.
The other thing I thought worth sharing today is the sense of opportunity that I think God is bringing together for those that would see it. We are aware of a lady that is becoming a Salvation Army soldier on a remote island here. Her island doesn't have the microcredit schemes that other islands have, but has been dramatically affected by the cyclone in that cruise ships no longer visit her island. The 'mamas' there are dependant on handicraft skills and sales to tourists for survival. Having known this, I today met the CEO of Vanwoods (Vanuatu Women's Development Scheme) who is looking for expansion partners (she gave us a lift home!).
So we have a presence on this island, an issue to look into, a potential partner, a potential leader and it's all been brought before us within a few days.
I've sent my thoughts on this to our international development team at IHQ, as this is a long term concept, not an emergency project. I hope they take it up.
But I'm struck by some things worth sharing.
I sat with a school principal, his lead secondary teacher and one of my IES colleagues in an outdoor meeting today because the school (at Erakor, Efate Island) has so staff room remaining. We were able to clearly see where the school oval was, where children - a large group - were playing football.
With a paper ball.
They have no football.
It's the simplest thing, but it stood out to me. I had already seen the school kitchen - a log for a bench and a fire on the ground for cooking outdoors - I had already seen the destroyed classrooms on a few occasions but it was the lack of a ball that seemed so significant and memorable.
Needless to say that as well as fixing the school toilets, rebuilding their kindergarten and replacing some school books, I'm throwing sports gear into our school project! It's actually, from a theoretical standpoint, brilliant for school retention and morale; obviously, though, it just seems (to my Western mind) an easy and cheap thing to fix.
The other thing I thought worth sharing today is the sense of opportunity that I think God is bringing together for those that would see it. We are aware of a lady that is becoming a Salvation Army soldier on a remote island here. Her island doesn't have the microcredit schemes that other islands have, but has been dramatically affected by the cyclone in that cruise ships no longer visit her island. The 'mamas' there are dependant on handicraft skills and sales to tourists for survival. Having known this, I today met the CEO of Vanwoods (Vanuatu Women's Development Scheme) who is looking for expansion partners (she gave us a lift home!).
So we have a presence on this island, an issue to look into, a potential partner, a potential leader and it's all been brought before us within a few days.
I've sent my thoughts on this to our international development team at IHQ, as this is a long term concept, not an emergency project. I hope they take it up.
Sunday 26 April 2015
Vanuatu 15
A bit of an interesting evening; a small earthquake shook Port Vila tonight and sent everyone outside. Quite a shake for us all, and a bit of excitement in an otherwise quiet night in.
We needed a quiet night after a big day.
We arrived at church this morning to quite a crowd. As the service concluded, we saw hundreds of people arriving with food and gifts. Apparently the chief of this part of Tagabe had organised a thankyou celebration for the team.
At least 10 people took the opportunity to speak and some then presented gifts. A shield was made, in the shape of The Salvation Army shield, with a thank you note inscribed. This will go back to IHQ to hang in the IES office. Or maybe in the South Pacific & East Asia office to remind them that the corps over here would like official recognition.
It was quite an emotional day and you feel quite fraudulent - getting personal thanks for something that God has brought together, and someone else has paid for! Nonetheless there was much to celebrate. At least 500 people gathered (out of a community of around 750) to share in a meal together. Many of them sang, and the choir from the Presbyterian Church down the road finished their thank you speech with a rendition of "To God be the Glory".
It was also great to see the outpost shelter then turn into Town Hall, where the chief then called everyone together to discuss everything from the teenagers using drugs to the noise from the nightclub at the end of the street. (Ironic, in some respects, when one of 'businesses' in the street is the local Kava bar).
I said to my colleagues: "This is what (should) happen wherever The Salvation Army comes to town". The community shares food. The community solves its problems together. The community meets together. The community celebrates. The community gives thanks. And, some that choose, join together to worship God.
And we enjoyed Ice Cream. But that's another story that some would have seen on Facebook.
There has also been much to celebrate on the project front this week. We've sourced the boats, fishing gear and solar powered freezers for Tanna. This will not only help our villages get back to their livelihood but expand it by storing fish they can take to market in Lanekal (the main town of Tanna).
We have the go ahead and the labour in place to repair the toilet block for North Vila Public School and the nutrition program will start this week at the Vila Christian School. This will help 1950 students (between the two schools) get back to school.
This week we obtained vouchers from a hardware store that are helping 155 families in Tagabe to self repair their homes and buy the household wares they need to replace. We distributed emergency shelter kits (tarps and rope, basically) to 441 households in Erakor during a house-to-house damage assessment of over 1000 homes.
We also made a deal with UNICEF to undertake some WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) projects on their behalf, which , if nothing else, is evidence of respect for our team.
So, hopefully there won't be any more tremors and we can get some sleep, ready for whatever this week has in store.
We needed a quiet night after a big day.
We arrived at church this morning to quite a crowd. As the service concluded, we saw hundreds of people arriving with food and gifts. Apparently the chief of this part of Tagabe had organised a thankyou celebration for the team.
At least 10 people took the opportunity to speak and some then presented gifts. A shield was made, in the shape of The Salvation Army shield, with a thank you note inscribed. This will go back to IHQ to hang in the IES office. Or maybe in the South Pacific & East Asia office to remind them that the corps over here would like official recognition.
It was quite an emotional day and you feel quite fraudulent - getting personal thanks for something that God has brought together, and someone else has paid for! Nonetheless there was much to celebrate. At least 500 people gathered (out of a community of around 750) to share in a meal together. Many of them sang, and the choir from the Presbyterian Church down the road finished their thank you speech with a rendition of "To God be the Glory".
It was also great to see the outpost shelter then turn into Town Hall, where the chief then called everyone together to discuss everything from the teenagers using drugs to the noise from the nightclub at the end of the street. (Ironic, in some respects, when one of 'businesses' in the street is the local Kava bar).
I said to my colleagues: "This is what (should) happen wherever The Salvation Army comes to town". The community shares food. The community solves its problems together. The community meets together. The community celebrates. The community gives thanks. And, some that choose, join together to worship God.
And we enjoyed Ice Cream. But that's another story that some would have seen on Facebook.
There has also been much to celebrate on the project front this week. We've sourced the boats, fishing gear and solar powered freezers for Tanna. This will not only help our villages get back to their livelihood but expand it by storing fish they can take to market in Lanekal (the main town of Tanna).
We have the go ahead and the labour in place to repair the toilet block for North Vila Public School and the nutrition program will start this week at the Vila Christian School. This will help 1950 students (between the two schools) get back to school.
This week we obtained vouchers from a hardware store that are helping 155 families in Tagabe to self repair their homes and buy the household wares they need to replace. We distributed emergency shelter kits (tarps and rope, basically) to 441 households in Erakor during a house-to-house damage assessment of over 1000 homes.
We also made a deal with UNICEF to undertake some WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) projects on their behalf, which , if nothing else, is evidence of respect for our team.
So, hopefully there won't be any more tremors and we can get some sleep, ready for whatever this week has in store.
Tuesday 21 April 2015
Vanuatu 14
It's very quiet in the house at the moment. The two teammates that are with me in Vila have already gone to bed. It is after 9 o'clock I suppose :-)
And in fairness it's been a long day. We spent a lot of it trundling around to various suppliers trying to source the right quantities of the right materials for different projects. The day finished with part one of our next distribution in Tagabe, where we are helping people with vouchers that can be redeemed at a local hardware store with the intention of promoting the self-repair of their homes.
In addition to that we have until tomorrow to hand in our submissions to the joint Humanitarian Action Plan. That's what I'm doing now, as you can tell. This 'HAP' combines all of the planned projects from the different agencies within their sector (shelter, water, health, education etc) and then puts them as a package to governments and donors for support. It's important that we are part of the plan as a) donors generally won't consider supporting projects that aren't part of the coordinated solutions package, and b) agencies won't be supported if they don't work within the system. That aside, it's also a good opportunity to find additional support for the work we are doing.
Speaking of coordination, it's been a real blessing to work with other agencies in such a cooperative environment. So far, in one way or another, we have partnered with the Red Cross, Samaritan's Purse, Caritas and, as of today, UNICEF. I will sign an agreement with them in the morning to provide us with further materials for some of our projects.
Another blessing, as always, is the people that we work with. Today as I went out to see the team at the distribution, I was amazed, again, at how patient, peaceful, happy, supportive and thankful the people of Vanuatu are. They truly are the friendliest people in the world. We can't walk from our house to the 'downtown' without every person along the street wishing us a good evening.
Now I think I might join my teammates and head to bed. I can always get the HAP submissions finished in the morning.
And in fairness it's been a long day. We spent a lot of it trundling around to various suppliers trying to source the right quantities of the right materials for different projects. The day finished with part one of our next distribution in Tagabe, where we are helping people with vouchers that can be redeemed at a local hardware store with the intention of promoting the self-repair of their homes.
In addition to that we have until tomorrow to hand in our submissions to the joint Humanitarian Action Plan. That's what I'm doing now, as you can tell. This 'HAP' combines all of the planned projects from the different agencies within their sector (shelter, water, health, education etc) and then puts them as a package to governments and donors for support. It's important that we are part of the plan as a) donors generally won't consider supporting projects that aren't part of the coordinated solutions package, and b) agencies won't be supported if they don't work within the system. That aside, it's also a good opportunity to find additional support for the work we are doing.
Speaking of coordination, it's been a real blessing to work with other agencies in such a cooperative environment. So far, in one way or another, we have partnered with the Red Cross, Samaritan's Purse, Caritas and, as of today, UNICEF. I will sign an agreement with them in the morning to provide us with further materials for some of our projects.
Another blessing, as always, is the people that we work with. Today as I went out to see the team at the distribution, I was amazed, again, at how patient, peaceful, happy, supportive and thankful the people of Vanuatu are. They truly are the friendliest people in the world. We can't walk from our house to the 'downtown' without every person along the street wishing us a good evening.
Now I think I might join my teammates and head to bed. I can always get the HAP submissions finished in the morning.
Saturday 18 April 2015
Vanuatu 13
During the week our attention turned to a village called Erakor. Out there are 1200 homes, with around 6900 people, who, as mentioned earlier in the week showed a glaring omission in response planning. Somehow, the village had just been missed.
This was nothing but accidental oversight, so the group that coordinates shelter responses stood and looked to us all to see who could do something. Some slightly optimistic Salvationist officer put up his hand and said The Salvation Army would do something (don't know who that was...), so we drove out to Erakor to have a look and start doing "something".
We met Joseph, Aron, and a range of others who were just grateful to see "someone". The fact that we were cobbling together a response - Salvationist workers with Red Cross tarpaulins and rope we needed to cut as we went along - was a better 'something' than 'nothing'. That said, and as incomplete a start and inadequate a response as it is, the few days we've been working there have been quite satisfying.
My role here has often meant that I'm the guy in the meetings, doing the liaison work, writing the proposals and budgets and looking after the team. As this was an "all-hands-on-deck" situation, and some of our hands we were hoping to arrive in country are still a few days (or weeks) away, I was able to get out and join the crew.
We are all sunburnt, have slightly orange hands from the rope we were cutting, and are quite stiff from walking to 800ish (so far) of the homes to assess the damage and cover up those that needed support - 276 households so far that were leaking or damaged. This, of course, doesn't include those homes that have already self-repaired. Hopefully in the next week we can finish this first assessment and response and start something more substantial - probably around the school there, which is around 75% destroyed.
In the meantime, it's back to Vila to complete the three days of admin that I haven't done while out in the field. Each week we need to submit activity reports and stocktakes to the government so they can coordinate the response and the resources of all the agencies. We need to provide submissions to the sectoral clusters so that they know we are meeting internationally agreed standards for humanitarian response. And as we are The Salvation Army, there is internal reporting to complete.
(We're not alone, though. A Red Cross colleague volunteered to do something the other day, and then quickly asked that it not be minuted... until he gets permission in triplicate from Geneva!).
The guys on the other islands are working hard, too. This week they've distributed cookware, blankets and tool kits to families on Tanna. They've also been working to position a massive 50,000L water bladder that has been donated to Vanuatu, through The Salvation Army, on the island. And, they've been working on our truck! To get around Tanna is quite an effort (some of the best and scariest driving of my life) and our vehicle has needed new tyres, shock absorbers and a new CV joint.
On a lighter note, there are some fun things about living and working overseas, such as discovering new places. Like "Au Peche Mignon" on Lini Hwy in Vila. If you're ever here, they certainly have the best coffee in town!
This was nothing but accidental oversight, so the group that coordinates shelter responses stood and looked to us all to see who could do something. Some slightly optimistic Salvationist officer put up his hand and said The Salvation Army would do something (don't know who that was...), so we drove out to Erakor to have a look and start doing "something".
We met Joseph, Aron, and a range of others who were just grateful to see "someone". The fact that we were cobbling together a response - Salvationist workers with Red Cross tarpaulins and rope we needed to cut as we went along - was a better 'something' than 'nothing'. That said, and as incomplete a start and inadequate a response as it is, the few days we've been working there have been quite satisfying.
My role here has often meant that I'm the guy in the meetings, doing the liaison work, writing the proposals and budgets and looking after the team. As this was an "all-hands-on-deck" situation, and some of our hands we were hoping to arrive in country are still a few days (or weeks) away, I was able to get out and join the crew.
We are all sunburnt, have slightly orange hands from the rope we were cutting, and are quite stiff from walking to 800ish (so far) of the homes to assess the damage and cover up those that needed support - 276 households so far that were leaking or damaged. This, of course, doesn't include those homes that have already self-repaired. Hopefully in the next week we can finish this first assessment and response and start something more substantial - probably around the school there, which is around 75% destroyed.
In the meantime, it's back to Vila to complete the three days of admin that I haven't done while out in the field. Each week we need to submit activity reports and stocktakes to the government so they can coordinate the response and the resources of all the agencies. We need to provide submissions to the sectoral clusters so that they know we are meeting internationally agreed standards for humanitarian response. And as we are The Salvation Army, there is internal reporting to complete.
(We're not alone, though. A Red Cross colleague volunteered to do something the other day, and then quickly asked that it not be minuted... until he gets permission in triplicate from Geneva!).
The guys on the other islands are working hard, too. This week they've distributed cookware, blankets and tool kits to families on Tanna. They've also been working to position a massive 50,000L water bladder that has been donated to Vanuatu, through The Salvation Army, on the island. And, they've been working on our truck! To get around Tanna is quite an effort (some of the best and scariest driving of my life) and our vehicle has needed new tyres, shock absorbers and a new CV joint.
On a lighter note, there are some fun things about living and working overseas, such as discovering new places. Like "Au Peche Mignon" on Lini Hwy in Vila. If you're ever here, they certainly have the best coffee in town!
Wednesday 15 April 2015
Vanuatu 12
Tonight's post will probably be short as I'm quite tired, but I couldn't resist blogging now that we have working internet in our house.
Today was hard in some ways. Around 200 people closed down the National Disaster Management Offce through a protest around the distribution of temporary shelter fixes. The group of agencies, including The Salvation Army, who have some role to play in this area have worked hard to ensure supply, but are around a week away from reaching the whole population, particularly in dense unplanned urban areas.
These areas include almost double the population on any census, are mostly informal and insecure shelters and represent many of the most vulnerable people, but also some of the hardest to reach. This is simply because you never know how many people are actually there, nor the critical vulnerabilities that you will uncover while at work.
Credit is due to our team, along with five of the other key agencies who, this afternoon, really did throw everything on the table to try and get the job done. It will make for a interesting few days as we fill the gaps and hit the road, but we will get there.
Tuesday 14 April 2015
Vanuatu 11
It's one of those weeks when you feel like you could use a few extra hands.
On the one hand (pardon the pun) I have seen the second 'protest' today, with people increasingly dissatisfied with the apparent slow response of government and support agencies to the disaster. They have a small point, when you consider the torrential rains that have now hit as a side-wash of TC Solo. (This is a cyclone that hit New Caledonia to the SW of Vanuatu over the weekend).
On the other, every agency is stretched. This is one of the first time's I've sat in meetings and heard most of the major agencies put up their hand to say 'we're out of people' or 'we're out of money' or 'we're out of gear'.
The Salvation Army is not too much different to the others as we have very few people in Vanuatu and no gear! The positive side to that is that we get to buy all of our stuff 'in country', which I love because it stimulates the local economy.
Over the weekend I had another three of our project proposals approved. One formally allows for the reconstruction of 200 houses on the island of Tanna. One is a multi-sectoral project that provides comprehensive support to one community on the fringe of Port Vila; here we will support everything from self-repairs of shelters to school retention. The third supports the redevelopment of fishing livelihoods in three villages in Tanna. My small team have their work cut out for them.
In addition to this we have picked up another village on Efate Island to work in: Erakor. This was a glaring gap on the agency map: 1200 households. We're still working out how we support this community; your prayers for wisdom and guidance would be appreciated.
In the meantime I reflect on some ironies today - like the logistics people double booking our room (!) and consequently kicking the shelter group out of their shelter! I reflect on the fun of the development setting - meeting lots of new people to engage with. And I laugh at the silliness as representatives of many the world's largest aid agencies huddled under a tent in the rain, mostly sitting on tables, mud everywhere, as we discussed high level reconstruction strategies.
On the one hand (pardon the pun) I have seen the second 'protest' today, with people increasingly dissatisfied with the apparent slow response of government and support agencies to the disaster. They have a small point, when you consider the torrential rains that have now hit as a side-wash of TC Solo. (This is a cyclone that hit New Caledonia to the SW of Vanuatu over the weekend).
On the other, every agency is stretched. This is one of the first time's I've sat in meetings and heard most of the major agencies put up their hand to say 'we're out of people' or 'we're out of money' or 'we're out of gear'.
The Salvation Army is not too much different to the others as we have very few people in Vanuatu and no gear! The positive side to that is that we get to buy all of our stuff 'in country', which I love because it stimulates the local economy.
Over the weekend I had another three of our project proposals approved. One formally allows for the reconstruction of 200 houses on the island of Tanna. One is a multi-sectoral project that provides comprehensive support to one community on the fringe of Port Vila; here we will support everything from self-repairs of shelters to school retention. The third supports the redevelopment of fishing livelihoods in three villages in Tanna. My small team have their work cut out for them.
In addition to this we have picked up another village on Efate Island to work in: Erakor. This was a glaring gap on the agency map: 1200 households. We're still working out how we support this community; your prayers for wisdom and guidance would be appreciated.
In the meantime I reflect on some ironies today - like the logistics people double booking our room (!) and consequently kicking the shelter group out of their shelter! I reflect on the fun of the development setting - meeting lots of new people to engage with. And I laugh at the silliness as representatives of many the world's largest aid agencies huddled under a tent in the rain, mostly sitting on tables, mud everywhere, as we discussed high level reconstruction strategies.
Sunday 12 April 2015
Vanuatu 10
Today I would simply like to ask for prayer for the people of Vanuatu.
Tropical Cyclone Solo sits off to the west of Vanuatu and is currently moving through the islands of New Caledonia. It will not have a great impact on Vanuatu, apart from some storms tonight and tomorrow.
That said, from Friday it has promoted cyclone advisories on the radio and you can see some fear, or in some cases flashbacks to Pam, among the people. At church this morning, one lady, Florence, prayed that Solo would go away.
Please pray for peace for the good people of Vanuatu.
Last night we walked to a restaurant in Port Vila for a thank you meal for one of our team, Michael, who headed back to his home in Hawaii this morning. As I type he will be sitting in Sydney awaiting his connection.
As we walked along, every single person wished us a good night. There is no friendlier place on earth than Vanuatu.
We wondered to each other what people would think at home if we greeted everyone else on the street. The guys from New York laughed - perhaps they'd be accepted as another Manhattan nutter. Here though, it is so genuine.
Tropical Cyclone Solo sits off to the west of Vanuatu and is currently moving through the islands of New Caledonia. It will not have a great impact on Vanuatu, apart from some storms tonight and tomorrow.
That said, from Friday it has promoted cyclone advisories on the radio and you can see some fear, or in some cases flashbacks to Pam, among the people. At church this morning, one lady, Florence, prayed that Solo would go away.
Please pray for peace for the good people of Vanuatu.
Last night we walked to a restaurant in Port Vila for a thank you meal for one of our team, Michael, who headed back to his home in Hawaii this morning. As I type he will be sitting in Sydney awaiting his connection.
As we walked along, every single person wished us a good night. There is no friendlier place on earth than Vanuatu.
We wondered to each other what people would think at home if we greeted everyone else on the street. The guys from New York laughed - perhaps they'd be accepted as another Manhattan nutter. Here though, it is so genuine.
Saturday 11 April 2015
Vanuatu Update 9
As you can see there have been very few updates this week. There's a very simple reason for that... I have had no internet. Well... some internet - sometimes at the local internet cafes or where I might go for a meal. We are told that the technician is coming to fix the connection at our house... he's been coming since Tuesday.
That hasn't stopped our work, though, and the teams have been hard at it across Efate, Tanna and Anatom Islands this week. There has been good economic signs in town as well, as the handicraft market reopened and the first cruise ship, with 2000 passengers, returned to Port Vila.
For me, there's been a chance to reflect. I went to bed last night and I thought to myself:
Today we helped ship food to families that are desperate for food.
Today we helped to argue for adequate shelter standards for families that are trying to rebuild.
Today we arranged for distribution of hygiene items to another 176 families.
Today I participated in a workshop that planned the future responses for all the agencies working in Vanuatu and also compiled lessons learned from the first four weeks post Cyclone Pam.
Today I met up with people from around the world with whom my connection goes back years - like Josh that used to work for SAWSO (The Salvation Army World Service Office in the USA) and now works for Habitat for Humanity.
Today we were able to apply for funding to rebuild the industries in a number of villages and rebuild 200 homes (pray for approvals!) completely and repair a further 130 homes.
Today I got to ride in the back of a ute with some friends driving around a tropical paradise.
I do like my job :-)
That hasn't stopped our work, though, and the teams have been hard at it across Efate, Tanna and Anatom Islands this week. There has been good economic signs in town as well, as the handicraft market reopened and the first cruise ship, with 2000 passengers, returned to Port Vila.
For me, there's been a chance to reflect. I went to bed last night and I thought to myself:
Today we helped ship food to families that are desperate for food.
Today we helped to argue for adequate shelter standards for families that are trying to rebuild.
Today we arranged for distribution of hygiene items to another 176 families.
Today I participated in a workshop that planned the future responses for all the agencies working in Vanuatu and also compiled lessons learned from the first four weeks post Cyclone Pam.
Today I met up with people from around the world with whom my connection goes back years - like Josh that used to work for SAWSO (The Salvation Army World Service Office in the USA) and now works for Habitat for Humanity.
Today we were able to apply for funding to rebuild the industries in a number of villages and rebuild 200 homes (pray for approvals!) completely and repair a further 130 homes.
Today I got to ride in the back of a ute with some friends driving around a tropical paradise.
I do like my job :-)
Monday 6 April 2015
Vanuatu update 8
So at 5:25 in the morning we climbed up the hill to the ecumenical dawn service yesterday. Given we are GMT+11 it would have been one of the first dawn services anywhere in the world (with a recognising nod to our Kiwi and Tongan friends at GMT+12). It was fine, around 25 degrees and, again, a real blessing to share with people of different nationalities and races, but common faith.
It was also good to stand with other NGO workers and worship. I stood beside Mike, the head of World Vision in Vanuatu, and could see staff from Act for Peace and other agencies around the group as well.
The whole country has come to a bit of a halt over Easter. The official stats say that Vanuatu is roughly 80% Christian, mostly Presbyterian and Catholic with a smattering of AOG churches and a lot of Mormons. I think I've seen LDS missionaries just about every day we've been here. This all means that over the Easter break the country stops.
That said, there is still a lot of strange religious practice in the islands. Pentecost Island is famous for it's vine diving (the precursor to bungy jumping) which is really a fertility ritual where the men kiss the earth to encourage crop growth. Then there is the island that thinks Prince Philip is deity! And there's Anatom, where a Christian missionary was eaten by cannibals as recently as 1974.
We've been both rested by the break, and frustrated at the inability to further some of our projects. There has been a seeming ignorance in the coordination system of the cultural significance of the weekend; I had meetings scheduled by other agencies on both Good Friday and Easter Sunday (I chose not to go on Friday and went to just the last afternoon one on Sunday).
We're hopeful to make some headway again this week and regain some momentum.
For those that have been following the blog, it's worth reporting that the water restoration project on Tanna Island has gone extremely well and we have restored water to two villages completely now. That means that for 550 people the walk to a clean water outlet is now less than 10 minutes. Not ideal, but access to good, clean water can't be minimised.
It was also good to stand with other NGO workers and worship. I stood beside Mike, the head of World Vision in Vanuatu, and could see staff from Act for Peace and other agencies around the group as well.
The whole country has come to a bit of a halt over Easter. The official stats say that Vanuatu is roughly 80% Christian, mostly Presbyterian and Catholic with a smattering of AOG churches and a lot of Mormons. I think I've seen LDS missionaries just about every day we've been here. This all means that over the Easter break the country stops.
That said, there is still a lot of strange religious practice in the islands. Pentecost Island is famous for it's vine diving (the precursor to bungy jumping) which is really a fertility ritual where the men kiss the earth to encourage crop growth. Then there is the island that thinks Prince Philip is deity! And there's Anatom, where a Christian missionary was eaten by cannibals as recently as 1974.
We've been both rested by the break, and frustrated at the inability to further some of our projects. There has been a seeming ignorance in the coordination system of the cultural significance of the weekend; I had meetings scheduled by other agencies on both Good Friday and Easter Sunday (I chose not to go on Friday and went to just the last afternoon one on Sunday).
We're hopeful to make some headway again this week and regain some momentum.
For those that have been following the blog, it's worth reporting that the water restoration project on Tanna Island has gone extremely well and we have restored water to two villages completely now. That means that for 550 people the walk to a clean water outlet is now less than 10 minutes. Not ideal, but access to good, clean water can't be minimised.
Friday 3 April 2015
Vanuatu Update 7 - Good Friday
This morning I had the great privilege of sharing in Good Friday worship at The Salvation Army Port Vila outpost.
Lilyrose, our congregation leader, gave me an order of service and then proceeded to lead three songs that weren't on the program. Following this, she turned to me, invited me to the "platform" and said, "We're ready to start now I think".
The congregation consisted mostly of young children. Out of 40-45 of us that were there, the majority would have been under 25. In fact a good half would have been under 18. You can see a strong future for The Salvation Army in Vanuatu if they continue to be part of the life of this community.
It did, of course, mean that I had to do some quick re-think of the Good Friday message, but nonetheless, it was a real honour to be about to speak on such an important day in the Christian calendar. I will always cherish such an opportunity.
After church we shared in refreshments and Lilyrose shared her testimony with me. Her first contact with The Salvation Army came through a vision her son had of some 'white men' that would come and help them. After this she saw a TV documentary on The Salvation Army and told her husband that when they come to Vanuatu, she would be the first to join. And she was.
Lilyrose tells the story of an amazing transformation in her life and how she is now committed to working for God full time. She lives by faith and runs a children's program and also does a lot of prison visitation. She leads the congregation and has been of immeasurable assistance to us as we get to know her community.
I salute Lilyrose. Alastair (my IES) colleague and I told her that the day will come when they include Vanuatu in The Salvation Army year book, along with her photo. One day, when this happens, it will permanently note her pioneering work.
You will note that I have finally changed the photo on the sidebar. This is about 4 1/2 years overdue. The photo there now includes the members of the first IES team in Vanuatu. I am to the left, with William (Lilyrose's husband), Major Darren Elsley (Aus Eastern), Michael (USA West), Craig (USA East), Stephen (Vanuatu) and Major Gavin Watts (Aus Eastern). Missing in the photo are Damaris Frick (IHQ - she took the photo) and Alastair who arrived a day or two later. This week coming we are also joined by another Craig from USA East, which will be great.
Lilyrose, our congregation leader, gave me an order of service and then proceeded to lead three songs that weren't on the program. Following this, she turned to me, invited me to the "platform" and said, "We're ready to start now I think".
The congregation consisted mostly of young children. Out of 40-45 of us that were there, the majority would have been under 25. In fact a good half would have been under 18. You can see a strong future for The Salvation Army in Vanuatu if they continue to be part of the life of this community.
It did, of course, mean that I had to do some quick re-think of the Good Friday message, but nonetheless, it was a real honour to be about to speak on such an important day in the Christian calendar. I will always cherish such an opportunity.
After church we shared in refreshments and Lilyrose shared her testimony with me. Her first contact with The Salvation Army came through a vision her son had of some 'white men' that would come and help them. After this she saw a TV documentary on The Salvation Army and told her husband that when they come to Vanuatu, she would be the first to join. And she was.
Lilyrose tells the story of an amazing transformation in her life and how she is now committed to working for God full time. She lives by faith and runs a children's program and also does a lot of prison visitation. She leads the congregation and has been of immeasurable assistance to us as we get to know her community.
I salute Lilyrose. Alastair (my IES) colleague and I told her that the day will come when they include Vanuatu in The Salvation Army year book, along with her photo. One day, when this happens, it will permanently note her pioneering work.
You will note that I have finally changed the photo on the sidebar. This is about 4 1/2 years overdue. The photo there now includes the members of the first IES team in Vanuatu. I am to the left, with William (Lilyrose's husband), Major Darren Elsley (Aus Eastern), Michael (USA West), Craig (USA East), Stephen (Vanuatu) and Major Gavin Watts (Aus Eastern). Missing in the photo are Damaris Frick (IHQ - she took the photo) and Alastair who arrived a day or two later. This week coming we are also joined by another Craig from USA East, which will be great.
Thursday 2 April 2015
Vanuatu Update 6
Sarah is a lady worth mentioning.
She lives in "21 Jump Street", so named because there are 21 yards in the Jump Street area. Each yard has between 2 and 10 families living in it. This is also where The Salvation Army Port Vila outpost is.
Sarah lost her husband, a retired geologist, to cancer in November. Then she lost her home completely when Cyclone Pam struck in early March.
Her resilience is amazing. We sat with her on Tuesday afternoon and discussed what had happened. She is staying in another home with a neighbour in her yard. She is reliant on her neighbours for support as there is no-one to earn income and her small garden is only just re-establishing, obviously yielding no vegetables yet.
She has a great friendship with Lilyrose Sari, the congregation leader of The Salvation Army Port Vila outpost. It was so nice to watch Lilyrose just chat with her and put her arm around her. While the practical support that The Salvation Army has been able to provide her, post "Pam", has so far been minimal (it's coming), the pastoral support offered by Lilyrose is second-to-none. These are the wonderful people that make up The Salvation Army around the world.
We did complete our first, small distribution in this area yesterday. We supported 120 households with hygiene kits to help, and a small amount (inadequate amount) of water. We have completed our assessment of the general needs in the neighbourhood now and hope to do some more comprehensive work that will re-establish the community gardens, get the kids back to school, support the women who go to markets and help people to repair their own houses.
We also got the roof back on to The Salvation Army church. Strange to say that this is usually not an emergency activity, but we needed a place to do the distributions, and it is a key community asset in that neighbourhood.
We do still have a team on Tanna Island as well. Today they took delivery of the 4.8km of pipe that we despatched on Tuesday and are moving it to our villages so that the water supply is restored.
Today I'm catching up on admin. For every project we undertake we need to submit a proposal to IHQ and our sponsor territory, develop comprehensive budgets and provide a weekly report. We also need to write reports for significant individual donors, and submit the 3W report (Who does What and Where) to the coordination clusters so that all the agencies know who is doing what, and where (sounds obvious).
Tomorrow I have the great privilege of sharing the Good Friday message at the Port Vila outpost. Looking forward to it!
She lives in "21 Jump Street", so named because there are 21 yards in the Jump Street area. Each yard has between 2 and 10 families living in it. This is also where The Salvation Army Port Vila outpost is.
Sarah lost her husband, a retired geologist, to cancer in November. Then she lost her home completely when Cyclone Pam struck in early March.
Her resilience is amazing. We sat with her on Tuesday afternoon and discussed what had happened. She is staying in another home with a neighbour in her yard. She is reliant on her neighbours for support as there is no-one to earn income and her small garden is only just re-establishing, obviously yielding no vegetables yet.
She has a great friendship with Lilyrose Sari, the congregation leader of The Salvation Army Port Vila outpost. It was so nice to watch Lilyrose just chat with her and put her arm around her. While the practical support that The Salvation Army has been able to provide her, post "Pam", has so far been minimal (it's coming), the pastoral support offered by Lilyrose is second-to-none. These are the wonderful people that make up The Salvation Army around the world.
We did complete our first, small distribution in this area yesterday. We supported 120 households with hygiene kits to help, and a small amount (inadequate amount) of water. We have completed our assessment of the general needs in the neighbourhood now and hope to do some more comprehensive work that will re-establish the community gardens, get the kids back to school, support the women who go to markets and help people to repair their own houses.
We also got the roof back on to The Salvation Army church. Strange to say that this is usually not an emergency activity, but we needed a place to do the distributions, and it is a key community asset in that neighbourhood.
We do still have a team on Tanna Island as well. Today they took delivery of the 4.8km of pipe that we despatched on Tuesday and are moving it to our villages so that the water supply is restored.
Today I'm catching up on admin. For every project we undertake we need to submit a proposal to IHQ and our sponsor territory, develop comprehensive budgets and provide a weekly report. We also need to write reports for significant individual donors, and submit the 3W report (Who does What and Where) to the coordination clusters so that all the agencies know who is doing what, and where (sounds obvious).
Tomorrow I have the great privilege of sharing the Good Friday message at the Port Vila outpost. Looking forward to it!
Monday 30 March 2015
Vanuatu Update 5
So this will be interesting. I'm updating on a small device while sitting on the grass outside the National Disaster Management Office while waiting for the next coordination meeting. See how I go.
The last 24 hours have had all the highs, lows, fun bits and difficulties of this work.
I flew to Tanna Island with my Tanna team with the intention of flying on to Erramango to do an initial assessment in a village we've been asked to work with. Turns out that our plane couldn't land there, and it would have been a waste of time anyway as the ADF are doing a great job there now.
So I decided to stay the day with my guys and see if I could help there. We met with John, a hydro-geologist from Samaritans Purse who is helping us restore the water supply to our villages. He brought his testing kit and we brought a heap of piping and connectors. The boat that was to take us around the island was broken. We found another but the captain wouldn't sail on a Sunday (nice in some ways). So we looked like we would have to walk.
The UNICEF rep who is looking after water and sanitation on the island offered to drive us as far as he could, which turned into one of the most hair raising 4wd experiences of life - including everything from sand climbs to 3 river crossings and a number of times that we thought he would completely burnout the clutch.
We got up to the village, just in time for me to have a quick look, meet the local pastor and then turn around for the hairy trip back. The good part was that our team got their plumbing supplies and our specialist up to the water source and work has started.
Upon return to Vila (flying in a small chieftain through a tropical storm) I went to meet the chief of one of the urban areas, where our corps outpost is. Turns out his daughter is a new Salvation Army soldier here, so he's sympathetic to our work. We were able to explain to him the immediate work we are hoping to do in his area, which includes an informal needs analysis.. We don't want to overdo the assessment, as we want to get on with some practical work in the urban area, and we are aware that Save the Children are doing a compressive assessment next week with Oxfam.
From today on we will have a person in this area of Port Vila most of the time and it's our hope that I'll get a person into the team from Australia Eastern Territory very soon to fill this role.
In the meantime, my break between the Heads of Agency meeting (7am!!) and the water team meeting is almost done, so time to go.
The last 24 hours have had all the highs, lows, fun bits and difficulties of this work.
I flew to Tanna Island with my Tanna team with the intention of flying on to Erramango to do an initial assessment in a village we've been asked to work with. Turns out that our plane couldn't land there, and it would have been a waste of time anyway as the ADF are doing a great job there now.
So I decided to stay the day with my guys and see if I could help there. We met with John, a hydro-geologist from Samaritans Purse who is helping us restore the water supply to our villages. He brought his testing kit and we brought a heap of piping and connectors. The boat that was to take us around the island was broken. We found another but the captain wouldn't sail on a Sunday (nice in some ways). So we looked like we would have to walk.
The UNICEF rep who is looking after water and sanitation on the island offered to drive us as far as he could, which turned into one of the most hair raising 4wd experiences of life - including everything from sand climbs to 3 river crossings and a number of times that we thought he would completely burnout the clutch.
We got up to the village, just in time for me to have a quick look, meet the local pastor and then turn around for the hairy trip back. The good part was that our team got their plumbing supplies and our specialist up to the water source and work has started.
Upon return to Vila (flying in a small chieftain through a tropical storm) I went to meet the chief of one of the urban areas, where our corps outpost is. Turns out his daughter is a new Salvation Army soldier here, so he's sympathetic to our work. We were able to explain to him the immediate work we are hoping to do in his area, which includes an informal needs analysis.. We don't want to overdo the assessment, as we want to get on with some practical work in the urban area, and we are aware that Save the Children are doing a compressive assessment next week with Oxfam.
From today on we will have a person in this area of Port Vila most of the time and it's our hope that I'll get a person into the team from Australia Eastern Territory very soon to fill this role.
In the meantime, my break between the Heads of Agency meeting (7am!!) and the water team meeting is almost done, so time to go.
Saturday 28 March 2015
Vanuatu update 4
So things change.
We found all sorts of logistical difficulties in landing and moving some of the gear, but none the less we managed to get all the food and most of the water out to our villages in Tanna.
Some new opportunities opened up today in the area where our corps outpost is in Port Vila. We connected with a local NGO who are struggling to serve the community with the extent of needs and their limited resources. We've offered to help, and starting this week we are therefore able to adopt the local village around our corps without tredding on other agencies turf. Sounds funny to say that, and no-one is really territorial, but we are very well coordinated to ensure the best spread of support and the least (if any) duplication.
The partnerships are developing well. To facilitate the first distribution in this area we are using gear that we have sourced from Samaritan's Purse, including hygiene gear and household kits, that we are going to deliver to 200 families in the neighbourhood. We will use another NGO's truck to get to our centre as well. So four agencies are working together in cooperation in this area.
We are scurrying to write up a lot of our work into projects that will demonstrate our use of funds to the donor territories. It's pretty mundane work, but it's great to be able to get a few formalised things in place so that the international Salvation Army can get a picture of the work that is being undertaken.
Tomorrow our Tanna team will be back in the field getting ready for distributing household items and starting the longer term solution to the water problems. I will be heading to the island of Erramango for our first look after being invited by a local mission to come and help. This will be purely an assessment visit, but it will help us know if there is work we should be doing there.
And our Port Vila team, including my newly arrived Admin guy (PRAISE THE LORD), will prepare for our first urban distribution and start to assess the community we've now adopted for longer term assistance.
We found all sorts of logistical difficulties in landing and moving some of the gear, but none the less we managed to get all the food and most of the water out to our villages in Tanna.
Some new opportunities opened up today in the area where our corps outpost is in Port Vila. We connected with a local NGO who are struggling to serve the community with the extent of needs and their limited resources. We've offered to help, and starting this week we are therefore able to adopt the local village around our corps without tredding on other agencies turf. Sounds funny to say that, and no-one is really territorial, but we are very well coordinated to ensure the best spread of support and the least (if any) duplication.
The partnerships are developing well. To facilitate the first distribution in this area we are using gear that we have sourced from Samaritan's Purse, including hygiene gear and household kits, that we are going to deliver to 200 families in the neighbourhood. We will use another NGO's truck to get to our centre as well. So four agencies are working together in cooperation in this area.
We are scurrying to write up a lot of our work into projects that will demonstrate our use of funds to the donor territories. It's pretty mundane work, but it's great to be able to get a few formalised things in place so that the international Salvation Army can get a picture of the work that is being undertaken.
Tomorrow our Tanna team will be back in the field getting ready for distributing household items and starting the longer term solution to the water problems. I will be heading to the island of Erramango for our first look after being invited by a local mission to come and help. This will be purely an assessment visit, but it will help us know if there is work we should be doing there.
And our Port Vila team, including my newly arrived Admin guy (PRAISE THE LORD), will prepare for our first urban distribution and start to assess the community we've now adopted for longer term assistance.
Thursday 26 March 2015
Vanuatu update 3
Today there were some significant forward steps in the work of The Salvation Army as we respond to Cyclone Pam.
In three remote villages on the island of Tanna our team was able to facilitate the distribution of over 5 tonnes of food support on behalf of the World Food Program. We also were able to support the delivery of 9 tanks filled with desalinated water and fly in some water bottles that can be used to decant from the tanks and drink the water.
We moved a step closer to the development of a long term shelter program that will be undertaken in partnership with a local NGO "Liberty for the Nations", and touched base with Samaritan's Purse again, whom we hope to partner with in the fathest south area of Atamon. Three of our team will travel there tomorrow to conduct a final assessment and meet with salvationists in that remote place. It hosts the only other Salvation Army outpost apart from Port Vila.
While the work still feels quite ad hoc, we are building a good base for longer term responses and making good connections with all the different groups that are responding in the same areas that we are.
The team loses Gavin tomorrow, who has been instrumental in liaison with donors and our host territory (Australia Eastern) during this first week. We will miss him.
Personally, I'm finding it very quiet tonight. Gavin and Darren are being looked after by our donor at another site, Craig, Mike and Stephen have gone to Tanna and stayed overnight, leaving Damaris and I together in Port Vila... and she needed an early night. It's interesting to sit by myself and just look around the hotel. It was obviously in good condition and quite popular a few weeks ago. Now the doors don't lock properly, there's damage in most of the walls, the wharf, decking and lower outdoor eating area are destroyed... not at all the picture that it looks on its website.
It was good to receive an updated travel advice today and see that the Australian Government is again supporting travel to Vanuatu, especially the northern (far less affected) islands. Tourism accounts for 40% of income in the islands so it's critical to get that going again.
In three remote villages on the island of Tanna our team was able to facilitate the distribution of over 5 tonnes of food support on behalf of the World Food Program. We also were able to support the delivery of 9 tanks filled with desalinated water and fly in some water bottles that can be used to decant from the tanks and drink the water.
We moved a step closer to the development of a long term shelter program that will be undertaken in partnership with a local NGO "Liberty for the Nations", and touched base with Samaritan's Purse again, whom we hope to partner with in the fathest south area of Atamon. Three of our team will travel there tomorrow to conduct a final assessment and meet with salvationists in that remote place. It hosts the only other Salvation Army outpost apart from Port Vila.
While the work still feels quite ad hoc, we are building a good base for longer term responses and making good connections with all the different groups that are responding in the same areas that we are.
The team loses Gavin tomorrow, who has been instrumental in liaison with donors and our host territory (Australia Eastern) during this first week. We will miss him.
Personally, I'm finding it very quiet tonight. Gavin and Darren are being looked after by our donor at another site, Craig, Mike and Stephen have gone to Tanna and stayed overnight, leaving Damaris and I together in Port Vila... and she needed an early night. It's interesting to sit by myself and just look around the hotel. It was obviously in good condition and quite popular a few weeks ago. Now the doors don't lock properly, there's damage in most of the walls, the wharf, decking and lower outdoor eating area are destroyed... not at all the picture that it looks on its website.
It was good to receive an updated travel advice today and see that the Australian Government is again supporting travel to Vanuatu, especially the northern (far less affected) islands. Tourism accounts for 40% of income in the islands so it's critical to get that going again.
Tuesday 24 March 2015
Vanuatu Update 2
Here in Port Vila it's been a crazy day as I've hit the ground running with briefings and assessments.
Less than half an hour after I arrived, our team returned from Tanna Island with their findings. These include data on three villages (about 1000 people) that are yet to receive assistance in an area that The Salvation Army has some contacts. We are consider an immediate response to get water in tomorrow and then a longer term response to help with water security.
There has been some good news today as the food supplies delivered by various military agencies (Australian, French and Kiwi) have arrived and are being distributed by government agencies out to the islands. This helps the NGO sector concentrate on other areas.
Tomorrow we are meeting with key donors and also attending three coordination meetings (one for heads of agencies, one for food security and one for shelter). I'll also be meeting with two other NGOs that we are partnering with (potentially) while the team look at flying the water to where it needs to be.
On a personal note, the team seems great. We have obtained two rooms to work from at a hotel (which includes our current sleeping accommodation), but it has power and wifi, so we're pretty happy with the set up. At the moment we are sitting near the seaside working on our various laptops and planning for tomorrow.
Less than half an hour after I arrived, our team returned from Tanna Island with their findings. These include data on three villages (about 1000 people) that are yet to receive assistance in an area that The Salvation Army has some contacts. We are consider an immediate response to get water in tomorrow and then a longer term response to help with water security.
There has been some good news today as the food supplies delivered by various military agencies (Australian, French and Kiwi) have arrived and are being distributed by government agencies out to the islands. This helps the NGO sector concentrate on other areas.
Tomorrow we are meeting with key donors and also attending three coordination meetings (one for heads of agencies, one for food security and one for shelter). I'll also be meeting with two other NGOs that we are partnering with (potentially) while the team look at flying the water to where it needs to be.
On a personal note, the team seems great. We have obtained two rooms to work from at a hotel (which includes our current sleeping accommodation), but it has power and wifi, so we're pretty happy with the set up. At the moment we are sitting near the seaside working on our various laptops and planning for tomorrow.
Monday 23 March 2015
Vanuatu update 1
Today begins a new adventure with the people of Vanuatu.
Vanuatu is an island nation, geographical located in the South Pacific near the Solomon Islands and New Caledonia. It has a mixed history that includes occupation by the British, French and Japanese at different times.
Just over a week ago, Tropical Cyclone Pam wreaked havoc on the islands affecting, in some way, the entire population.
The Salvation Army has a very small presence in the islands. There is an outpost sponsored by the Australia Eastern Territory, some youth work and contacts in a few villages on an outlying island. For this reason, The Salvation Army is sending an expat team to support the local salvationists in responding to this disaster.
Most of the team arrived last week, but I negotiated to wait until today so that I could share the news of my secondment personally with our congregation at Perth Fortress.
The team have already registered The Salvation Army has a disaster response agency, joined the coordination groups that are relevant to our work, set up conversations with most of the other key agencies in our areas of interest and found some accommodation in Port Vila. A 'rapid response' proposal has been put together for an initial distribution of food to a few affected communities, some in partnership with "One Small Bag" and then we will look at longer term, sustainable responses.
Vanuatu is an island nation, geographical located in the South Pacific near the Solomon Islands and New Caledonia. It has a mixed history that includes occupation by the British, French and Japanese at different times.
Just over a week ago, Tropical Cyclone Pam wreaked havoc on the islands affecting, in some way, the entire population.
The Salvation Army has a very small presence in the islands. There is an outpost sponsored by the Australia Eastern Territory, some youth work and contacts in a few villages on an outlying island. For this reason, The Salvation Army is sending an expat team to support the local salvationists in responding to this disaster.
Most of the team arrived last week, but I negotiated to wait until today so that I could share the news of my secondment personally with our congregation at Perth Fortress.
The team have already registered The Salvation Army has a disaster response agency, joined the coordination groups that are relevant to our work, set up conversations with most of the other key agencies in our areas of interest and found some accommodation in Port Vila. A 'rapid response' proposal has been put together for an initial distribution of food to a few affected communities, some in partnership with "One Small Bag" and then we will look at longer term, sustainable responses.
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