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Summary
The Water, Women and Disability study found that in Vanuatu's SANMA and TORBA Provinces the rate of disability prevalence was 2.6% (across all ages using the standard Washington Group definition). This is lower than estimates using the same tool in different settings, but comparable to other Pacific estimates. There are a number of possible explanations for this, including Vanuatu’s relatively young population (disability is known to be associated with ageing) and culture. Anecdotally, it was felt that people in the study with functional limitations that may be reported as “a lot” of difficulty in other settings, might be more likely to consider these as “some” difficulty in this context due to the adaptability of ni-Vanuatu. The findings show the significant impact that disabilities have on quality of life for participants, and in particular for women with disabilities.