Vanuatu means "our land" and its people are called "Ni Vanuatu." Vanuatu is a chain of islands in the South Pacific and it is part of the Melanesian Archipelago, which includes Papua New Guinea and Fiji. Vanuatu has a unique blend of intact tribal communities and geography ranging from accessible volcanoes to pristine beaches and underwater environments. With a population of approximately 215, 000, Vanuatu boasts over 100 distinct languages and innumerable dialects, making it one of the most linguistically diverse places on earth.
Vanuatu has one of the lowest standards of living in the world and is virtually a subsistence economy. The main community development needs of Vanuatu concern its youth unemployment and alienation, its geographical isolation from infrastructure in the remote islands, its reliance on foreign aid, the lack of a productive sector, minimal formal education, domestic violence, and maternal and child health problems.
YCI is proud to offer truly dynamic six and 10-week Group Programs in Vanuatu, South Pacific. This program is a unique experience for participants wanting program planning and management experience in a development setting.
Team up with aspiring leaders—including indigenous youth from Vanuatu—to build your leadership capacity and your experience bae through the most effective means possible: working with and learning from others on worthwhile community projects. Learn how to harness the potential of groups, grapple with project logistics and scheduling challenges while working on infrastructure, education and capacity building projects. YCI works in Vanuatu with partner Youth Challenge Australia and local partner, Youth Challenge Vanuatu.
Past Project Activities:
Infrastructure and Capacity Building: Volunteers have worked with communities to build health posts, kindergarten schools, wells, water tanks, ventilation-improved toilets, community centres and community kitchens. Most construction projects occur in rural communities that are beyond the reach of many basic services.
Youth Skills Summits: Youth Skills Summits provide local youth with the opportunity to share information and learn new skills through seminars and workshops on topics ranging from HIV/AIDS, social relationships, to employment opportunities and small business. Volunteers take responsibility for organizing all the logistics of the summit, which includes the recruitment and scheduling of local guest speakers, community mobilization and ensuring accommodations for participants. This is a crash course in project management in a community development setting.
Small Teams Projects: Small team projects offer volunteers the opportunity to work in teams of two to four on small projects that have focused on environmental research and awareness, medical outreach and educations. Projects in the past have included marine surveys, environmental education, health awareness workshops, tourism skills development workshops and women’s forums. Local community groups participate in the design and implementation of all Youth Challenge projects and provide a portion of the necessary resources. All Youth Challenge projects are community-based and driven by local needs.
For information on project dates, please refer to the Program Calendar.
| HDI: |
|
119/177 |
| Population: |
|
0.2 million |
| Life Expectancy: |
|
68.4 years |
| Adult Literacy Rate: |
|
74% |
|
Program Overview
