Vanuatu: Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH)

ABM staff member, Isabel Robinson officially opened the Stonehill Water Tank last year. © ABM/Isabel Robinson, 2014.

In 2015, the Anglican Church of Melanesia with support from ABM will be working alongside other Churches in Vanuatu to deliver clean water and hygienic toilet facilities to people in rural areas.

This project known as the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (or WASH) program will see new systems installed to ensure reliable access to clean water.

Due to population growth, the contamination of water points caused by increased farming and the effects of climate change, many people in Vanuatu do not have reliable access to clean, safe water.

The Anglican Church of Melanesia works with communities to repair existing water storage systems (such as tanks) and to install new water systems. This includes tanks (both concrete and polypropylene), wells, and gravity fed water systems.

When safe water is readily available in communities there are many benefits. Girls and women, who previously had to walk long distances for water, can now use that time to study, or attend to other matters. These women are also not subjected to long walks through unsafe environments. Of course, disease and the instances of diarrhoea, particularly among children, decreases.

Through this WASH project, ABM also supports the Anglican Church of Melanesia to install Ventilation Improved Pit toilets (or VIP toilets). This style of toilet can be built for relatively little money and provides a safe, hygienic facility for people.

In 2015, these toilets will be installed in schools, parishes and communities. Staff from the Anglican Church of Melanesia work with local youth to train them in VIP toilet installation, giving young people a practical skill that they can use to benefit their community.

By donating to the WASH project your money will go to materials for water point and toilet installation, as well as training workshops for youth in how to install VIP toilets.

VU006WS – Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH)  needs $66,000 in 2015 (tax-deductible)

This project receives partial funding from the Australian Government.

 

 

 

HOW TO DONATE

You can make an online donation to this project by selecting Vanuatu: Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) from the full project list.

Alternatively, for donations by cheque/money order (made out to the Anglican Board of Mission – Australia), telephone or email, view contact details here. Please don’t forget to include the project name and/or code with your payment details.

 

Project Update

June 2015 – Vanuatu Program Officer Jess Sexton tells about the WASH program in the village of Kayemback. Read more.

WASH article 

Jacob Landsmeer, a Student Journalist, recently wrote an article about the WASH Program in Vanuatu. It gives an interesting overview of the challenges and issues faced by local communities there, particularly in the aftermath of Cyclone Pam, but also highlights the importance of ABM’s work with the Church. View the article here: Barely a Drop to Drink: Vanuatu’s Problem with Water Sanitation.

  

Not a Drop to Drink

A documentary about ABM’s water projects in Vanuatu.