CARE in Vanuatu working with Volley4Change to help more people in Santo and Efate play volleyball

Aug 11, 2021 | Sports, Initiatives and Projects | 0

Volleyball is for everybody! Sport is a fun way for women and men, girls and boys, older people and younger people, and people with all types of abilities and disabilities to be healthier.

That’s why CARE in Vanuatu is working with Volley4Change to help more people in Santo and Efate join in and play volleyball.

This week, CARE and the Vanuatu Paralympic Committee have been working with the team at Vanuatu Beach Volleyball to train the trainers to use volleyball to help women and people with a disability build confidence and develop leadership skills.

Community leaders and partners of the women who will play volleyball through the program will also get the chance to be involved in Volley4Change.

“Volley4Change will help to promote volleyball in our community. The training this week has helped me learn to facilitate better, know more about gender roles and power in my community, help me understand some barriers to help women with disabilities in the community and also help them to play sport,” says Veronique David, Media and Communication Officer at Vanuatu Volleyball Federation, who took part in the training for trainers.

SOURCE: VANUATU DAILY POST

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Mother shares premature birth experience during COVID-19 November 20, 2023
As part of the commemoration of the 2023 Prematurity Day in Port Vila yesterday, Miss Debbie Melsul, the mother of a premature baby shared her experience about her tough journey as a parent of a baby born during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2022. The baby came early at just 32 weeks, weighing only 0.89 grams. She shared how they had to be separated because of COVID-19, making it a challenging time. The baby had to stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), and the mother had to wait at home until she tested negative for COVID-19 before she could see her child again after a week. For eight weeks in the NICU, “it was hard and challenging. I was flooded with thoughts of what I could have done as a preemie mum to prevent this. I was terrified. I cried for my son. I’m sure other mothers present today had felt the same thing,” she shared. Ms Melsul continued, “I cried seeing my son had tubes all over him. I was anxious. It was a roller coaster experience. Some days you think everything is going well, and the others, there may be complications.” The journey had its share of problems like an infection in the baby’s umbilical cord, which lasted for a week, and trouble with feeding. But the mom stayed strong. She stayed at the NICU, where days became weeks, which turned into months. Melsul said she and other preemie mothers had to wake up every three hours to feed their babies. She found comfort in a special kind of care called kangaroo care, commonly known as skin-to-skin care, where she held her baby close against her skin. “I found myself singing to my son during kangaroo care. Talking, laughing, and above all, feeling his heartbeat against my chest. That was all that mattered during my journey,” she said. Even when things got tough, a team of doctors and nurses, were supportive. She acknowledged that teamwork was displayed by a dynamic team of nurses and doctors working together and looking after their babies. The mom is thankful for their hard work and also appreciates the help from her family. Her son is currently one year and eight months old, wearing extra-large diapers, and weighs over 17 kilograms. Ms Melsul expressed her utmost gratitude to the nurses and doctors. The mother’s message to others in similar situations is full of hope. “To mothers out there going through the same situation, you will get through this. Those little humans are fearless fighters. The courage and strength that a tiny little human holds is phenomenal and amazing. Just as the banners read, ‘Small actions, big impact’. For each day that passes, be optimistic. Be faithful in the small things. “Believe in small actions of care provided to our little humans, because that makes progress.” A young father who is also a first-time father, also shared his experience of having premature twin-baby girls. The twins were discharged from the hospital on Thursday this week. Junior Pakoa mentioned that he learned a lot from the experienced nurses in the NICU. According to Pakoa, his babies spent three weeks at the NICU before they left for home. He said it was a challenging time because one of the twins was really sick. The young father stood by his partner, the mother of the babies, and together they took care of their little ones. He pointed out how important it is for both parents to be there for their newborns. He also thanked the nurses and doctors who supported them during their stay at the NICU. ________________________________________________________ SOURCE: VANUATU DAILY POST

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Ni-Vanuatu Women’s voices echo far at 3rd regional Community-Based Fisheries Dialogue November 16, 2023
Mrs. Rose Jimmy (left) and Mrs. Leisavi Joel during their Talanoa session yesterday. Photo: VFD Representatives from community groups and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) from across the region, gathered in Nouméa to take part in the 3rd regional Community-Based Fisheries Dialogue on November 14-15, 2023. This occurred as part the 6th Regional Technical Meeting on Coastal Fisheries and Aquaculture (RTMCFA), hosted by the Pacific Community (SPC). The dialogue provides a space for communities from across the region to share their views on issues relating to their coastal fisheries. During the second day of this meeting, Mrs. Leisavi Joel and Mrs. Rose Jimmy from the Havana Tasivanua Environment and Climate Action Network held a ‘Talanoa’ (shared their experience) session in front of an audience of over 100 participants from the Pacific. Mrs. Joel and Mrs. Jimmy were part of a special session organised by SPC and the University of Wollongong that discussed the importance of including voices from women alongside men in Community-Based Fisheries Management (CBFM). The growing collaboration between the Vanuatu Fisheries Department (VFD) and Vanua-Tai Resource Monitors Network was critical to making their participation possible. Following a panel of four speakers from Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia, Mrs. Joel shared, with passion and emotion, her personal experience and journey as a woman representative from her community working on sustainable fisheries management. “It is hard work for a woman to be actively involved in a male dominated area in the community, when it comes down to decision-making in our community, at the end of the day we have to look at the chief for his support,” she said. In regard to getting recognition from the community leaders, she added, “Sometimes the chief just sees us as a sister, aunty, mother or grandmother and nothing more, even though I am involved actively with our coastal and environmental activities inside the community.” Mrs. Joel and Mrs. Jimmy are the first women to hold a ‘Talanoa’ session during such a regional meeting and were widely appreciated. The session has demonstrated its value as a way to bring community voices to the regional leaders in coastal fisheries. The duo continued to actively participate during the 2-day discussion and want their experiences to set an example for other women in Vanuatu to become active members of CBFM committees in their community, with the support of men leaders. ________________________________________________________ SOURCE: VANUATU DAILY POST

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Civil Society organises protest against political instability November 14, 2023
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174 seasonal workers blacklisted November 6, 2023
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