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Priorities of the People: Hardship in Vanuatu

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What Can be Done?

After listening to the stories of the poor and understanding the nature and causes of hardship, what can be done to address it? Working together with those facing hardship to plan, prioritize, and implement solutions has a good chance of leading to successful, lasting initiatives.

During the consultations, people prioritized the most important actions that the government can take to alleviate hardship. The government has identified a number of strategies in the MTDF to address the priorities listed below.

To reduce the incidence of hardship in Vanuatu, the people consulted recommended that the government prioritize improvement of service delivery such as water supply, health, education, and roads in both rural and urban areas; and the creation of job opportunities in the urban areas through skills provision and access to credit. The people consulted developed the following list of specific priorities:

• Improve access to education (primary and secondary level as well as technical skills for unemployed youth),
• Health (especially nutrition and family planning),
• Better roads, shipping services and air strips,
• Rural training centers,
• Water supply connections,
• Telecommunication facilities (e.g., telephone aerials), and
• Banking and credit services (especially in the outer islands).

• Facilitation of markets for local produce (both local and international), and
• Establishment of a fish canning factory.

Although most people said they know which government agency to approach to access needed services, they have not actually contacted the agencies. They said they need more information about available government programs and funds, simplified procedures to access them, and better transportation to reach the agency offices, which are mostly located in the urban and provincial centers. The people consulted also said they need help in resolving land disputes and addressing social issues such as excessive kava drinking.

Capacity Needs Building

People said business management, cattle farming, and fund-raising skills are needed to develop local entrepreneurs. Information on how to obtain clean drinking water and proper nutrition is needed to prevent the spread of illnesses and improve health. Knowledge and skills to improve schools was identified as necessary to improve the quality of education for village children. Road maintenance skills were seen as crucial for maintaining village access to markets and services. Improved knowledge of fishing and farming would generate more income for rural households. Lastly, access to technical skills such as carpentry and auto mechanics, and secretarial, cooking, and dressmaking skills would benefit the increasing number of youth drop outs and “push-outs” in the villages and urban settlements.

Roles

Participation of the community in development is important to ensure that all sectors of society have a voice in decision making and a stake in the success of the initiatives. By working together to agree on priorities, establish roles, and monitor progress, real improvements can be made in the people’s daily lives. During the consultations, the people suggested that the government adopt a program to enhance the delivery of information to communities and feedback on community issues and priorities. They also suggested that the government assist communities to organize themselves, prepare plans, and implement activities to ensure their active participation in future development projects or initiatives, perhaps through the provision of leadership skills and project management training.

Most people expect the government to provide financial assistance, equipment, and facilities, as well as for government officials to be physically present in their communities. The government may want to take these expectations and views into account when developing new initiatives.

Most communities expressed willingness to provide free labor, land, food, accommodation, materials, and funding assistance as their contribution to support government community development programs.

Current Initiatives to Address Hardship

Before planning new initiatives, it is useful to consider what communities have done to address hardship and how they perceive current programs. This can help improve the effectiveness of future efforts.

The most commonly cited community initiatives to address hardship were

• representation to provincial governments and members of parliament to access needed government services; and,
• community fund-raising activities, for example, selling kava and laplap (made from taro, banana, or cassava) to raise money for school fees, and organizing youth and women’s groups.

Regarding government initiatives, most community members were aware of the Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI) Plan to help address poverty and hardship; however, they said they are still waiting for its actual delivery. They said the following government agencies were providing services to improve the standard of living of the communities: Department of Public Works, Ministry of Health, and Ministry of Agriculture, Quarantine, Forestry & Fisheries.

During crises, community members said they generally do not depend upon the government for assistance. Instead, they rely mainly on their family and community institutions, such as churches, tribes, women’s and youth organizations, and traditional leaders.

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