Thanks to the generosity of donors and supporters from across the globe, Oxfam’s response to Tropical Cyclone Pam has reached close to 25,000 people in the year since the cyclone struck Vanuatu.
WHAT OXFAM IS DOING
Water, sanitation and hygiene — providing clean water, rehabilitating water sources, constructing groundwater wells, distributing hygiene kits, carrying out hygiene awareness activities, and running workshops and activities that help communities protect their crops and ability to earn an income during droughts caused by El Niño.
Emergency food security and vulnerable livelihoods— supporting both immediate and medium-term livelihoods recovery in target communities through seed distribution, cash vouchers, cash for work programs and by identifying opportunities for income generation.
Gender and protection— ensuring community members, especially women, young people and people with disabilities, are safe and have access to services, promoting women’s empowerment, and making sure there is equal decision-making between women and men.
Coordination— leading and coordinating the Vanuatu Humanitarian Team, representing humanitarian agencies in Vanuatu, and providing support to the National Disaster Management Office.
OVERVIEW
Sunday 13 March 2016 will mark one year since Tropical Cyclone Pam struck Vanuatu. Tropical Cyclone Pam caused widespread destruction across the eastern and south-eastern islands of the country. The eye of the Category 5 cyclone passed close to Efate Island — the location of Vanuatu’s capital Port Vila — affecting about 188,000 people across 22 islands. An estimated 15,000 homes were damaged or destroyed, about 96% of food stocks decimated, and the water supply of 110,000 people was disrupted, destroyed or contaminated.
The response to Tropical Cyclone Pam began immediately after the storm left Vanuatu’s borders. In the 12 months since the event, more than 50 organisations, both local and international, have worked together under the lead of the Vanuatu Government to ensure relief efforts are coordinated and aid is getting to those who need it most. Humanitarian activities have now moved from the response phase into the recovery phase, and Oxfam’s programming for the next period will reflect this shift in focus, as well as the predicted impacts of El Niño on weather patterns.
While Vanuatu remains in the process of recovering from the impact of Tropical Cyclone Pam, the country is also experiencing its worst drought in 20 years due to impacts of El Niño. Oxfam has integrated its El Niño response plan into the Tropical Cyclone Pam recovery program, particularly in relation to water, sanitation and hygiene, livelihoods recovery, and gender and protection. Oxfam will continue putting its efforts into the same targeted communities and beneficiaries for its El Niño response as with the Tropical Cyclone Pam response — this way we can leverage our ability to deliver services and relationship with the communities and stakeholders. Oxfam will also continue to work with United Nations clusters and the National Disaster Management Organisation to ensure the El Niño response gets prioritised and integrated into the current Tropical Cyclone Pam recovery mechanisms.