Volunteer work in Vanuatu

Vanuatu consists of more than 83 islands spread out over 1,000 miles of the South Pacific. This makes accessing government institutions, health services and public information a challenge.

VSO works in HIV and AIDS and Participation and Governance in Vanuatu.

VSO helps to facilitate this access by placing volunteers to work with the local government to deliver these services and information. When volunteering in Vanuatu, VSO volunteers have discovered that there are management issues in some of the local agencies, which limit these agencies’ ability to properly serve the impoverished people of the islands, particularly those who live in rural or remote areas.

Another concern that VSO has felt compelled to address is the rampant spread of sexually transmitted infections. If citizens of the country are not aware of the best way to protect themselves against these infections, or if they do not have access to this protection, the rate of disease on the islands will become of even greater concern. VSO volunteers are partnering with national health and HIV/AIDS agencies to provide testing and counselling with the aim of increasing disease prevention awareness in communities.