Vanuatu is battling "incredibly dire" circumstances in the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Harold, says Save the Children NZ, the island's ravaged communities grappling with depleting supplies and an immediate future without homes or possessions.
Three weeks after Harold made landfall, 150,000 people across Malampa, Penama Province and Sanma continue to be affected by the cyclone's path of destruction. Santo, its surrounding islands and Pentecost were among the areas hardest hit by the tropical storm.
Save the Children, an organisation that works with young people and their communities in the aftermath of emergencies, estimates around 70 percent of homes have been destroyed in Sanma Province, which occupies Vanuatu's largest island Espiritu Santo.
"It's 21 days since [Cyclone] Harold made landfall, yet still thousands of people are being forced to live in shelters," Save the Children NZ child rights advocacy and research director Jacqui Southey told Newshub.
"In some areas there's not even a single home standing, so all of those people are requiring shelter and have lost all their household items and belongings. Urgent help is desperately needed."
People have been forced into crowded evacuation centres, with limited access to hygiene items and facilities - a critical issue amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Southey notes, with many communities nationwide facing shortages of soap and basic hygiene products.
"The pandemic [presents] two problems - one, [the virus is likely] present yet undetected, and living in those conditions with limited access to hygiene, clean drinking water, cooking and bathing, presents a real problem [for] the potential for it to spread.
"The other problem is that it's hampering supply routes to get critically-needed aid delivered into Vanuatu... Even just a short flight from Fiji to Vanuatu at the moment is challenging because of border controls and the lack of opportunity that would normally be there if commercial flights were running."
Southey says the organisation is working with the governments of both New Zealand and Australia in order to procure the urgently needed supplies.
"We're [also] looking to coordinate with local suppliers to see what extra supplies we can source [from] within Vanuatu... Most of the pre-position supplies we've got are getting critically low, so the sooner we get more in, the better it will be for people there," she said.
Vanuatu has yet to record its first case of COVID-19, but staff distributing household hygiene kits and food supplies are making sure to follow social distancing protocol to minimise any potential risks.
In a statement on Sunday, international programmes manager Leanne Harrison reiterated that crowded shelters are a major concern throughout the pandemic.
"When people have lost everything, including basics such as soap and personal hygiene products, and are forced to live in crowded conditions with others, it makes personal hygiene almost impossible. We are concerned that if COVID-19 gets a foothold in these communities, then virus transmission could be rampant."
In affected areas, food gardens have been completely destroyed. Without the provision of emergency food supplies, malnutrition is a huge concern. Water supplies have also been contaminated, meaning there is little to no clean water for drinking, cooking or bathing. The contaminated water also increases the likelihood of contracting waterborne diseases, particularly life-threatening to malnourished children.
Community pressures have also resulted in increased rates of domestic violence. Save the Children is requesting funding from the New Zealand Government to respond to increased reports of violence against women, girls and vulnerable people. The funding will be used to provide community psychosocial support and install solar-powered lights at water sources and toilets to make the areas safer at night.
What you can do to help
Southey says donations from the public are imperative in their efforts to help Vanuatu's recovery.
"We just need people to donate funds, even small amounts... obviously New Zealand is having problems with our own response to the coronavirus, so money is more limited, but a little goes a long way," she told Newshub.
Even the smallest donations can go towards purchasing essential items such as water purification tablets, food staples and soap, sanitary products and other personal hygiene supplies.
"Emergency food supplies are really important, staples like flour and rice that people need to live on... $10 goes a really long way if you're buying these really basic items," Southey said.
"While we're struggling with the virus here, we really need to remember the people of Vanuatu and do whatever we can to help them to recover, otherwise their recovery is going to be much longer and much harder."
You can donate to Save the Children NZ here.
