
Vanuatu | 2024 | CERF
Vanuatu, Port Vila. In the neighbourhood of Mamau in Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu, Anna and her husband, the local church leader, have supported their community through many difficulties – including decades of tropical cyclones.
But the 7.3 magnitude earthquake that struck on the 17th of December, killing 14, injuring 256, and affecting over 80,000 – was unprecedented, damaging people’s homes as well as critical water and health infrastructure.
Sonia, Anna’s neighbour, recalls the terror. "The ground started shaking violently," she recounts. "All I could think about was my children at home. I felt helpless and terrified."
The quake damaged Anna's home, breaking the floor and the rainwater collection system they depended on for safe water.
UN Agencies and Humanitarian partners, in coordination with OCHA and national authorities, have stepped in to help.
A CERF Rapid Response allocation of USD 1 million is helping provide emergency health, safe water and sanitation, shelter, and other assistance to Anna and others like her.
With some of this funding, UNICEF is working with the government to bring in safe water so that families like Anna's can maintain health and hygiene during the emergency. They are also repairing the water system from damage sustained in the quake.
The swift CERF allocation aims to reach 15,000 of the most vulnerable people with immediate help in these critical days.
02 January 2025
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Disclaimer
- UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
- To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.