Vanuatu

Why your support matters in Vanuatu

Vanuatu is spread across a chain of 82 islands. Many lack easy road access, and some you can only reach by small boat. When extreme weather hits, communities can be cut off from markets, health services or clean water for days at a time.

According to the World Risk Index, Vanuatu ranks consistently among the most at-risk countries in the world. That’s because it’s highly exposed to cyclones, earthquakes and volcanic activity, but has limited infrastructure capacity to absorb repeated shocks.

When storms intensify or sea levels rise, coastal erosion, crop loss and saltwater intrusion affect livelihoods across entire villages (especially for people relying on fishing or small-scale farming).

Economic inequality also plays a role. Tourism contributes significantly to the national economy, but rural and outer-island households don’t share equally in those benefits.

And it gets even more challenging for women and girls, who shoulder unpaid care work, have fewer income opportunities, and often bear the brunt of climate impacts on food production and household resources. It’s estimated 60% of women in Vanuatu have experienced physical or sexual intimate partner violence.

Despite this, Vanuatu’s communities are among the Pacific’s strongest voices pushing for more just global climate action. They’re leading calls for climate loss-and-damage accountability and pioneering community-led adaptation approaches. Local organisations are building networks that link village priorities with national advocacy, ensuring decisions reflect lived experience.

Oxfam’s work supports this leadership. Your support can help strengthen climate justice in Vanuatu at every level. From early-warning systems in villages to regional advocacy that ensures Pacific perspectives shape the global climate decisions that affect them so heavily. Donate to countries like Vanuatu today.

How Oxfam is working in Vanuatu

Oxfam works alongside local organisations across Vanuatu to strengthen climate leadership and support practical adaptation rooted in Pacific knowledge. Our work in Vanuatu is centred on climate justice — ensuring communities have the power, tools and platform to shape decisions that affect their lives.

Strengthening local climate leadership

Through the PACCCIL Phase 2 initiative, Oxfam supports community-led organisations in Vanuatu to engage more confidently in climate planning. This includes helping groups document local climate impacts, share village priorities with national authorities, and participate in regional dialogues where Pacific voices have historically been underrepresented.

Local partners are leading the way — from training young people in advocacy, to building women’s participation in community decision-making.

Connecting village priorities with national and global decisions

PACCCIL is designed to bridge the gap between what communities experience and what decision-makers discuss in national, regional and global forums. The initiative supports local organisations to contribute evidence and coordinate advocacy, so they can influence funding, adaptation planning, and international negotiations.

Supporting practical, long-term adaptation

Through the AHP Disaster Ready program, Oxfam also works with local groups to strengthen community adaptation and preparedness efforts. This includes sharing locally tailored climate information, supporting the development of early-warning systems, and helping communities map climate risks.

Developing a regional approach to climate justice

Climate change does not respect borders. Through PACCCIL Phase 2, Vanuatu organisations collaborate with partners in Fiji, Solomon Islands, Kiribati and Tuvalu to present a united Pacific voice on climate justice. This regional solidarity is one of the Pacific’s strongest tools in influencing global climate negotiations.

Oxfam acknowledges the support of the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP) and the Australian Humanitarian Partnership (AHP).

Key focus areas

Why choose Oxfam

We work alongside local leaders and organisations in Vanuatu who understand the challenges and the solutions. When you support Oxfam with a donation for countries like Vanuatu, you’re backing:

Local partnerships

Every program is grounded in community knowledge and led by local organisations.

Long-term resilience

From climate advocacy to disaster preparation, we focus on lasting impact (not just emergency relief).

Proven accountability

As a member of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID), Oxfam follows the highest standards of transparency and effectiveness.

A regional approach

Our work in Vanuatu is part of a wider strategy, ensuring solutions are shared, connected and led by the Pacific region itself.

Justice over charity

We support communities to lead their own future. It’s not about charity. It’s about fairness, dignity and equal rights.

How your donation helps

Your donation to Oxfam can support community-led programs in Vanuatu and around the world. Here’s what your support can help make possible:

• Stronger disaster preparedness — through community-led planning, early warning systems, and local training
• Support for women leaders — especially in climate advocacy and community organising
• Access to clean water and sanitation — critical during disasters and for long-term health
• Local climate solutions — like food security programs, sustainable livelihoods, and community education
• Stronger regional advocacy — helping communities amplify their voices on the global stage

Your donation is more than a moment of support. It’s a commitment to a more just and resilient future.

Donate to countries like Vanuatu now

Help us work for justice and equality. For the right to earn a reliable income and have access to clean water and a viable food network (especially as climate shocks occur more frequently).

By donating today, you can back communities facing climate extremes head-on. Your contribution can help provide practical tools, long-term support, and builds better systems for the future.

Donate now to support climate action in Vanuatu and around the world.

Roy’s story

When torrential rain triggered a landslide in Molpoe village, homes and plantations were swept away in a single night.

Roy remembers working to rebuild with his neighbours, but with the understanding that they now needed new ways to adapt, not just to recover.

With support from Oxfam and local partner SSEN, the community received tools, training and access to new farming techniques.

They began growing food crops adapted to saltwater intrusion and shifting coastal conditions, while women in the village explored new small business opportunities grounded in traditional weavings and coastal resources.

For Roy and his community, it wasn’t just rebuilding. They learnt how to live with change. Stories like Roy’s show how your donations to Vanuatu and countries around the world turn recovery into adaptation, and community voices into leadership.

Learn more about Oxfam’s work in the region

Want to understand the bigger picture? Explore how Oxfam works across the Asia-Pacific region to support community-led climate action and push for global systems that put justice first.

Discover Oxfam’s climate justice work. Read about how we’re working with partners across the globe to support more just climate solutions. Or learn more about what climate change is — what’s driving the climate crisis, who it affects most and how you can help.

You can explore our current appeals or learn more about how we work in Laos, Myanmar and Indonesia.

Oxfam’s partners

Shefa Provincial Government, Vanuatu Association of Non-Governmental Organisation (VANGO), Vanuatu Climate Action Network, Vanuatu Cultural Centre, Vanuatu Red Cross, Vanuatu Society for People with Disability (VSPD), Wan Smolbag Theatre (WSB).