Five important reasons why Vanuatu needs our help today.

Vanuatu has been decimated by Cyclone Pam. Here’s why we need to help…

1. They’ve lost everything.

Cyclone Pam was the worst cyclone ever experienced in the Pacific. Winds of up to 250kmh decimated its capital Port Villa and the small surrounding  islands. The death toll sits at 11 people, but it will almost certainly rise. For many families living in Vanuatu, their lives have been turned upside down, leaving nothing but rubble and memories of before their communities were torn apart.

2. Home is where your heart is.

The United Nations  has confirmed there are 3,300 people without homes and that figure is still increasing. Much of the local housing, built mainly from bush wood, bamboo and palm leaves in rural areas and corrugated iron and waste materials in the shanty towns, have  been destroyed. The massive clean up operation has commenced, but it will be many months until rebuilding is complete. Until then, many face an uncertain future.

3. Clean water, sanitation facilities and hygiene are vital and disease is a major threat.

Without access to adequate living conditions, sanitation, toilets and clean water, the threat of the spread of waterborne diseases (e.g. dysentery) is a very real one. Clean drinking water is a top priority and ensuring local people have access  to water purification kits is the immediate focus of the team of NGOs, led by Oxfam Australia, working in the country.

4. Kids need basic services.

Living through such a powerful cyclone is a terrifying experience for everyone, especially children. Children need to be cared for and get their lives back to a sense of normality quickly. Widespread destruction of homes, schools and  hospitals, make an already terrifying situation even  harder. Added to that, food sources have been wiped out and children face major health risks if they don’t get the right levels of nutrition. Kids should be playing and learning, not worrying.

5 . Donations make a difference.

This photo is of a tap stand. They helped provide fresh water to local communities ravaged by Typhoon Haiyan in the Phillipines in 2013. In the 12 months following, Oxfam provided 87,000 families with hygiene kits, provided water, washing facilities and toilets at 44 sites in Leyte and Eastern Samar and provided 4,700 new mothers with mother-baby kits. And a whole lot more.

The generosity of Australian’s donating to Oxfam made that possible . The power of giving  is life changing.

You can support Oxfam’s response to Cyclone Pam by donating to our appeal at www.oxfam.org.au/cyclonepam or by calling 1800 034 034.