June Newsletter 2024

Aug 2, 2024 | Newsletters | 0

We ended the financial year in high spirits as the team at Sista closed off key projects with wonderful partners.

Sista’s Comms & Advocacy team finally wrapped up this season of the Round Table Podcast. THANK YOU to everyone who joined Elsie at the Round Table to discuss these important topics!

We witnessed participants of the Young Women’s Leadership Program (YWLP) graduate on June 14th and make speeches about their personal growth throughout the program. A big congratulations to the YWLP graduates in Port Vila and Tanna!

We celebrated Venda Moses from V&K wedding & event planner in our monthly fashion piece, Sista Gat Style. And we started to review the final drafts of the Vois Blong Mi films edited by Markson from MATAKAMBU – keep your eyes out for these films as we plan to launch the first film in July!

We also had the opportunity to support Penpena Mouri create materials for a two-day workshop with single mothers and/or female led households – Sista’s Admin and Finance team also supported the female led organisation with their logistics and planning. We are so glad to have been able to support another growing organisation.

Another exciting opportunity the comms team shared on Sista’s socials was the #SotSotStorian competition organised by Vanuatu Literature! The competition attracted over 70 submissions and we can’t wait to share them with you all soon!

We acknowledged Port Vila Day on the 11th of June, the infamous SHEFA Day on the 18th of June and International Widows Day on the 23rd of June.

Find out what else we got up to in June!

Projects

Venda Moses – Sista Gat Style, Vanuatu Daily Post

This June, we are thrilled to celebrate the multi-talented Venda Mosses!

Hailing from the picturesque island of Malekula, Venda expertly juggles her many roles: devoted daughter, loving wife, dedicated employee at the Office of the Public Prosecutor and co-founder of “V&K Wedding Planner” alongside her husband Kendry Mosses.

When she’s not at the office, Venda immerses herself in books, online courses, and journaling, always seeking personal growth.

Inspired by her Christian faith, Venda aims to be a beacon of hope and a role model for young women and girls in her community.

Her personal style emphasizes comfort and modesty, often drawing inspiration from Pinterest.

Guided by her faith and a positive outlook, Venda lives by mantras like “Small changes equal big results” and “Consistency is key,” which light her path to success.

#SistaGatStyle #WomanMalekula #V&KWedding&EventPlanner #Modest #Smart #BusinessWoman

Menstrual Health Campaign Launch and Panel Discussion with Pacific Menstrual Health Network

On the 7th of June 2024, the Pacific Menstrual Health Network held the Menstrual Health Campaign Launch and Panel Discussion at the Infinity Conference Room, Iririki Island Resort. The event was attended by key stakeholders and featured the Sista Comms & Advocacy Officer, Sharon Nicholls as one of the panelists.

This campaign launch was part of a broader initiative across the Pacific, including Vanuatu, to raise awareness about menstrual health and to share Pacific Period Stories through a film campaign. The event aimed to promote menstrual health rights and create a collaborative platform for inclusive and diverse Pacific leaders and experts to drive menstrual health advocacy.

The storytellers shared their personal experiences with menstruation, highlighting the challenges they faced and the cultural stigmas surrounding menstrual health. A notable highlight was the participation of Amino David from Vanuatu, the only male advocate, who shared his journey from viewing menstruation as taboo to advocating for menstrual health for the benefit of his daughters and future generations.

Following the morning tea, the panel discussion commenced, moderated by Relvie and featuring five panelists: Vivian from Further Arts, Marie Kalsrap from Mamma’s Laef, Sharon Nicholls from Sista, Anne Pakoa from the Global South Menstruation, and Ben from the Ministry of Health. The panelists discussed their organizations’ work on menstrual health, the challenges they faced, and potential solutions to improve menstrual health in Vanuatu. Key topics included the importance of menstrual hygiene, breaking taboos, and the need for education and resources to support women and girls.

A big thank you to the Pacific Menstrual Health Network for inviting us into this space! We can’t wait to continue the journey in breaking the stigma around “taboo” topics, like Menstrual Health!

Young Women’s Leadership Program Graduation with CARE in Vanuatu

On June 14th the young Women’s Leadership Program (YWLP) concluded with a graduation ceremony at the Iririki Island Resort’s beachside conference room. This event marked the end of a six-month program organized by CARE and Sista, which aimed to enhance the leadership skills of young women through various workshops and an internship period. The program featured activities such as the Family Storian, which involved participants’ family members to learn about communication and financial budgeting, and sessions on feminism, social media, and online safety. The comprehensive training concluded with participants earning certificates and joining the alumni network.

The graduation ceremony featured speeches from key figures, including Isabelle Charlie from CARE, New Zealand High Commissioner Nicci Simmonds, and Deputy Australian High Commissioner Emily Fisher.

Several YWLP graduates shared their experiences during the ceremony, each highlighting significant personal changes since being part of the program.

The ceremony concluded with certificate presentations, performances by the graduates, and a token of appreciation to the CARE and Sista teams.

We appreciate the support of the Australian and New Zealand High Commissions, and our partners at CARE in Vanuatu. We’re excited to see these young women, who are now YWLP Alumni, grow in the spaces they’re in.

Photo credit: Zoe Barnes

The Round Table Podcast with We Rise Coalition and PACMAS

During the month of June, the Comms and Advocacy team worked closely with Sista’s Acting Program Manager to publish the final Round Table Podcast episodes! Thank you to Sista’s Project officer for helping the team by transcribing the rest of the episodes.

Guess what? We have also uploaded all 22 episodes to our YouTube channel to make it easier for interested listeners to access!! Make sure to check us out on YouTube, Spotify and the Sista website.

Vois Blong Mi Films with CARE in Vanuatu

Our videographer, Markson from MATAKAMBU spent the remaining month of June editing the films. This also meant Sista and CARE spent time reviewing the drafts with great anticipation for the final versions. While there are still some tasks to be completed, most of the work is done and we cannot wait to share these videos with you in July!

“Sef spes blong yumi ol sista” content design with Penpena Mouri

In early June, the Communications and Advocacy team at Sista helped support Penpena Mouri design materials for a workshop where they brought together single mothers and/or female led households for a two-day workshop to discusss various challenges faced due to their partners leaving for the seasonal worker’s scheme.

The materials included posters to help invite interested women to attend the workshop, a poster for the workshop itself and a graphic design to have printed on tote bags for the participants.

We’re glad to have been able to support Penpena Mouri with this workshop and happy to see the smiles on the participants faces when they received their tote bag.

Photo credit: Zoe Barnes

Advocacy Workshop in Luganville with World Vision Vanuatu

Sista’s Comms & Advocacy Coordinator and Acting Program Manager left for Santo on Wednesday 26th June to hold an Advocacy workshop with World Vision’s Inclusive WASH target communities. This workshop was held specifically to help contribute to the Media Campaign which aims to highlight the WASH needs from three demographics: people living with a disability, SOGIE diverse community and women.

We look forward to seeing the result of this four-day workshop and can’t wait to strengthen our relationships with our consultants Glenda Sumsum, from Lokol Connect, and Markson from MATAKAMBU.

Other News

Worked with Canadian volunteer

Zoe Barnes reached out to the team at Sista in May 2024 to volunteer her photography skills. The Communications team thought it would be a great opportunity to have more support especially with the different tasks they were juggling throughout the month of June.

We appreciate Zoe for stepping in to support the team in capturing photos during the “Sef spes blong yumi ol sista” workshop with Penpena Mouri, the Young Women’s Leadership Program Graduation and capturing Sista staff portraits for upcoming content on Sista’s media platforms. Tankio tumas Zoe!

Small wins for Finance and Admin

This month, the finance team submitted the finance report and renew its grant with the FRIDA fund. The FRIDA fund is a youth-led feminist fund that is dedicated to resourcing and supporting girls, young women, and other groups that are doing feminist and inter sectional work at the grassroots level. FRIDA has been supporting Sista since 2021 and we are very blessed and grateful for that.

We also engaged a service provider, Ms Glenda Sumsum, to support our team with the WASH project. This project is supported by World Vision Vanuatu. She will support the team facilitate an advocacy workshop and identify climate resilient WASH needs of the most vulnerable and at-risk groups and lead the development of a national campaign. She will be with us until August.

Safeguarding Training with World Vision Vanuatu

On Thursday 20th June, the Sista staff attended a safeguarding training organized by World Vision at the Sista office. The training focused on reviewing Sista’s safeguarding and child protection policies, including the code of conduct, incident reporting procedures, and the Preventing Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment (PSEAH) and Child Protection (CP) policies. The training was very instructive, and we learnt a lot. Everyone have engaged in discussions and role-playing scenarios to better understand the policies and how they apply to the work we do at Sista thanks to the interactive sessions and real-life scenarios.

Growing support at Sista

During the last week of June, we met Charlotte Greet, an Australian volunteer that will be working with us from July onwards. She is part of the New Colombo scholarships program. Charlotte’s main responsibility will be to monitor two of Sista’s websites: StanapStrong and Sista Library and to ensure that any literature and policy updates regarding the strategic areas under the National Gender Equality Policy (2020-2023) in Vanuatu are in one place so that those who need to access this information can do so easily. Welcome on board Charlotte, and we look forward to working closely with you in the coming months.

Supporting Penpena Mouri with PPAC

In the month of June Sista assisted Penpena Mouri to implement a project aimed at supporting single mothers, particularly those heading households due to the seasonal worker scheme. The project focuses on promoting healthy relationships and utilizing storytelling to address challenges faced by single mothers.

Sista helped with budget management tasks, including preparing cash to enable the Penpena Mouri volunteers to carry out project-related activities.

Additionally, we arranged venues for the two-day workshop that took place on 13th and 14th of June 2024 and not forgetting also sourcing of merchandise for participants who took part in the two-day workshop.

On June 25th, another awareness activity was conducted at Ekipe by Penpena Mouri. Once again, Sista assisted by preparing payments for the service providers who supported this activity.

Supporting the Vanuatu Widow’s Association

On Wednesday, June 5th, the Finance team at Sista began working with the Vanuatu Widow’s Association to manage their budget, generously donated by Mahuk.

A costed workplan was created and established for Marie Kalkoa, the newly elected president of the Vanuatu Widow’s Association. The Sista Finance officer assisted the Executive Director in explaining the costed workplan and budgeting to ensure all activities could be carried out as planned.

Funds were disbursed to enable Marie to conduct two meetings. The first meeting was with the other executives of the Association to discuss plans for their annual Widow’s Day event. This year’s proposed activity was a flea market, inviting all widows from the five municipal wards to commemorate the day. The second meeting focused on drafting sponsor letters, which were later distributed to several government offices and other organizations to help sponsor the Widow’s flea market held on June 27th.

On June 23rd, Sista arranged for four cakes to be distributed by Marie across the five wards of Port Vila. These cakes were intended to bring the widows in the community together for a celebration of the day.

Pop-Up Objectives and Key Results Workshop with Titan FX

On Friday, June 14th, 2024, Titan FX hosted a pop-up Objectives and Key Results (OKR) workshop in their conference room at Port Vila. This event, attended by Titan FX and its partners, including Sista’s Projects Officer, Talula-Fay, aimed to introduce participants to the OKR framework. Tim Newbold, the Founder of OKR Quickstart, facilitated the session, sharing insights on how OKRs can be an effective goal setting and leadership tool for organizations.

Thank you, Titan FX!

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NEWS

‘The scars children carry can last a lifetime’ August 13, 2026
Amid the public outrage and questions over the President’s recent pardoning of convicted rapists and the alarming increase in child abuse cases in Vanuatu, the REACH Family Centre is calling on Parliament to pass the proposed Child Protection Bill, saying stronger laws are needed to hold people who abuse children accountable. Every day at the REACH Family Centre, Mansen Roy and Salokie Narfi work alongside children experiencing challenges no child should face. Some are struggling with overwhelming stress. Others are navigating violence at home, bullying, online harm and the fear of speaking out. For Narfi, a counsellor and group work practitioner for children and adolescents, the hardest part is seeing how many suffer in silence. “Children want to come for help, but they are scared of the consequences,” she says. “Some are afraid their parents will find out. Others are afraid nobody will believe them.” Using drawing, play therapy and other child-friendly approaches, Narfi helps children express emotions they cannot find the words for. She remembers one child who repeatedly blacked out at school. “Through counselling, the child understood the emotional pain carried,” she says. “The mother also received counselling. Today that child is brighter, more confident and looking forward to the future.” But not every story has such a hopeful ending. Roy, REACH’s Acting Executive Director, says many of the challenges children face are made worse by gaps in protection and understanding. “Violence against children remains one of the biggest issues,” he says. “We should teach, guide and love children,” he says. “Wrong treatment can create trauma that children carry for their whole lives, like a scar that never goes away.” Against this backdrop, REACH is pushing for the proposed Child Protection Bill to reach Parliament and become law. Both Roy and Narfi say the legislation would strengthen their work by creating a clearer approach to responding when children are at risk of serious harm, including sexual abuse. It would also help place children’s wellbeing at the centre of decision-making. “This Bill will support our work in the field,” Mansen says. “The justice system punishes perpetrators, but what about the survivors? Children also need healing, psychological support and protection to move forward into the future.” Narfi says the law would also ensure serious cases of abuse are recognised early and responded to properly. “Children are the future of the country,” she says. “If this Bill passes, we can build a stronger Vanuatu with children who are supported, protected and able to become the future leaders of our nation.” REACH is one of the few organisations in Vanuatu providing holistic support to entire families, working with mothers, fathers and children together because lasting change begins at home. Yet the demand for counselling and mental health support continues to grow, while resources remain limited. Roy believes passing the Child Protection Bill is no longer simply a legal decision – it is a moral one. “Child protection affects everyone because every one of us was once a child,” he says. For the children who are too frightened to speak, and for those still carrying invisible scars, the time to act is now. SOURCE: VANUATU DAILY POST

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Man remanded over alleged sexual assault of four-year-old girl August 13, 2026
A man from Tanna has been remanded in custody after being charged over the alleged sexual assault of a four-year-old girl at Salili on Efate last week. The accused, identified in a remand warrant as Simeon Tom Yatika, appeared before the Port Vila Magistrates’ Court on 11 August 2026. He is charged with unlawful sexual intercourse, contrary to section 97(1) of the Penal Code [CAP 135]. The prosecution applied for the accused to be held in custody, and the court granted the application. The warrant directs the officer in charge of the Correctional Centre to keep Yatika in custody until his next appearance on 25 August 2026 at 9am. A source close to the Magistrates’ Court said the court was informed that the alleged victim suffered injuries and experienced difficulty using the toilet after the incident. The court also reportedly heard that the accused had been receiving mental health care but had not attended medical appointments for some time. The circumstances surrounding that information remain matters for the court and relevant medical professionals to consider. The allegations have not been tested at trial. The accused has not been convicted and is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The case has caused concern and renewed public frustration over the protection of children and the handling of sexual offence cases in Vanuatu. Many members of the public are expected to question whether vulnerable children are receiving adequate protection, medical care and support after alleged abuse. The case also comes amid wider criticism from women’s groups over the treatment of child sex offenders and calls for stronger safeguards in decisions involving pardons and accountability. Women’s groups have recently urged the Government to review the presidential pardon process following the pardoning of men convicted of sexually abusing children. Community members have called for the justice system to respond firmly to allegations involving children, while also stressing the importance of allowing the courts to assess the evidence fairly and independently. Under Vanuatu law, sexual intercourse with a child under 13 is a serious criminal offence, with the law providing a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. The prosecution must nevertheless prove the charge beyond reasonable doubt before a conviction can be entered. The matter remains before the Port Vila Magistrates’ Court. The child’s identity has been withheld to protect her privacy. SOURCE: VANUATU DAILY POST

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Cervical cancer preventable, yet a leading cause of death among Vanuatu women August 12, 2026
Minister of Health Robert Bohn said cervical cancer remains one of the leading causes of death among women in Vanuatu, yet it is entirely preventable through vaccination, screening and early treatment. Speaking at the official launch of the Vanuatu National Cervical Cancer Elimination Strategy 2026–2035 yesterday, Minister Bohn said access to these highly effective prevention measures had previously been limited or unavailable in Vanuatu. As a result, women were often diagnosed at advanced stages of the disease, when treatment options were limited and survival rates were lower. Minister Bohn said the launch reaffirmed a collective commitment to ensuring women and girls have access to prevention, screening and treatment services, with their health, dignity and future at the centre of the national effort. “The Vanuatu Strategy aligns with the World Health Organization’s Global Strategy to Accelerate the Elimination of Cervical Cancer as a Public Health Problem and its 90-70-90 coverage targets: 90 per cent of girls fully vaccinated with HPV by age 15; 70 per cent of women screened with an HPV test or other high-performance test by ages 35 and 45; and 90 per cent of women with cervical pre-cancer treated and women with invasive cancer appropriately managed,” he said. The Minister of Health said the Government of Vanuatu, through this strategy, is reaffirming its commitment to achieving these goals by 2035. Mr. Bohn said Vanuatu now has accessible, culturally appropriate and scalable approaches to prevention, and together the country can make a difference for women and families across the country. “The country has already made significant progress on this pathway, and today I would like to acknowledge the persistence, advocacy and hard work of health and community workers to reduce the preventable burden, incidence, illness and death caused by cervical cancer,” he said. “An opportunistic screening programme has existed since 2008, with national Human Papillomavirus (HPV)-based screening implemented in 2022, and close to 20,000 women screened to date. The hard work of the Vanuatu Ministry of Health, the Vanuatu Family Health Association and the Ikkana Cancer Society has meant that access to screening has been made available across all provinces, with over 3,500 women receiving treatment.” Mr. Bohn said Vanuatu is also protecting girls from cervical cancer through HPV vaccination, with the national HPV vaccination programme beginning in 2023 and 16,412 girls vaccinated to date. He said this ensures that today’s girls grow up protected, empowered and free from a disease that previously often arrived too late for treatment. “With continued awareness and coordinated delivery strategies, communities learn that the HPV vaccine protects their children and they therefore want their children to be vaccinated,” he said. “As we endorse this document, we acknowledge the journey of women and families affected, the conscientious efforts of health and community workers to improve health outcomes and the valued collaboration of international partners which strengthens our progress. “The Strategy presents a roadmap to strengthen and sustain current efforts, prioritising primary health care, public health approaches and people-centred service delivery tailored to the Vanuatu context.” Minister Bohn said sustained progress would require long-term, sustainable financing and continued coordinated efforts across sectors and disciplines to ensure Vanuatu remains on the path to eliminating cervical cancer. He said the Government of Vanuatu is committed to ensuring activities are adequately coordinated, funded and maintained over time. “Government commits to ensuring that no woman is left unseen, no girl unprotected, and no life lost to a preventable disease,” he said. The senior consultant in obstetrics and gynaecology, medical lead for the cervical cancer screening programme and chairperson of the development of the cervical cancer elimination strategy, Dr Boniface Damutalau, said the document launched yesterday provides a roadmap for combating cervical cancer. He said cervical cancer screening began in 2022 using new technologies to detect pre-cancerous lesions, and the launch of the strategy provides guidance for screening, vaccination, treatment and sustainability of the programme through to 2035. “It’s a document that helps us with a roadmap of how we do our screening, our vaccination, our treatment of pre-cancerous lesions, and also it will help us with the sustainability of the programme for the next 10 to 15 years,” he said. Dr Damutalau said available data shows around 18 per cent of women have HPV infection, although he believes the figure could be higher because the hospital continues to see two or three new cervical cancer cases each month. He explained that the best way to prevent cervical cancer is through immunisation of young girls aged around 9 to 14 years and regular screening. Dr Damutalau said screening is the only way to detect cervical cancer early, allowing treatment to begin before the disease progresses. He said Vanuatu can currently treat stage 1 cervical cancer locally, while women with more advanced stages must travel overseas for further treatment. “There are a lot of challenges. I think the biggest ones that we encounter are that Vanuatu is very sparse, with different islands, so there is a lot of geography we have to go through, and human resources are also one of the important things that we combat every day,” he said. “Human resources across ministries are not enough, but we always try to reach as far as where women live, from remote places in the north down to the south.” Dr Damutalau acknowledged the efforts made by women who come forward to clinics for screening. He said there are currently two clinics providing services, one in Port Vila and one in Luganville. Cervical cancer is caused by HPV, and once a woman becomes infected, the virus can change cells on the cervix, causing them to become cancerous. Dr Damutalau said most HPV infections clear naturally, but some remain and can increase the risk of cervical cancer. He said about 90 per cent of cervical cancers are linked to HPV, which is why vaccination and early screening are important. SOURCE: VANUATU DAILY POST

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More boys than girls drop out of school August 12, 2026
More boys than girls are dropping out of secondary schools in Vanuatu, with TORBA Province recording the highest dropout rate. Boys are repeating grades more than girls at both primary and secondary levels across all provinces, and TORBA Province again has the highest repetition rate. These findings were conveyed by the Director of Policy and Planning at the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET), John Gideon, in his presentation to set the tone for discussions at the National Education Forum in Port Vila. He said more boys are leaving school for reasons beyond the classroom, such as the cost of education, distance to school and boarding challenges. In 2016, Vanuatu came up with a policy requiring children to start formal primary school at age 6. Director Gideon revealed that the net enrolment rate has been declining since 2023, with girls recording a higher rate while boys’ participation remains lower. Girls also recorded higher gross enrolment rates than boys at every level. Director Gideon also mentioned that the education system is not retaining students, especially at the secondary level. He said about 41 out of every 100 children who start Year 1 remain in school by Year 6, and only about 5 out of every 100 continue through to Year 13. Director Gideon highlighted that the number of early childhood centres has decreased since 2022, primary schools have remained stable, while secondary schools have grown the most, with 67 new schools established since 2015. “There are over 5,400 teachers, but they are not where the students are,” he said. SHEFA, TAFEA and SANMA have the most senior secondary schools, while TORBA faces a severe shortage of junior secondary teachers. Director Gideon encouraged participants at the forum to examine what the data reveals about boys’ engagement in the education system, how to increase enrolment in early childhood and the relationship between enrolment and student progress. Currently, 104,510 students are enrolled across more than 1,000 registered schools in Vanuatu. However, Director General Cherol Ala pointed out that not all children are in school, highlighting the need to improve access, enrolment and participation. While literacy and numeracy outcomes continue to decline, she said monitoring of the nationwide Curriculum Improvement Program (CIP), launched last year, is showing improved outcomes in student learning. Other challenges she mentioned include student and teacher attendance, high dropout rates, limited access to formal training and qualifications, school infrastructure, access to schools and rolling out internet connectivity. She reminded everyone about the ministry’s mission to provide young people with lifelong skills, values and confidence to become self-reliant and contribute to development. Throughout the four-day National Education Forum, government leaders, educators and partners have discussed what has not worked and what needs to be done to improve education outcomes. The forum ends today. SOURCE: VANUATU DAILY POST

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Vanuatu’s education crisis a ‘national disaster’ – Pikinini Playtime CEO August 12, 2026
Pikinini Playtime founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Tony Batten has described Vanuatu’s education situation as a “national disaster”, warning that poor literacy outcomes among children could affect the country’s future development. Speaking during an interview on Kava Mo Kajap, Mr. Batten said reports that around 70 per cent of children are unable to read and write at the expected level should be treated as a serious national concern. “I think it is a national disaster, like a hurricane or an earthquake,” Mr. Batten said. He said Vanuatu’s greatest resource is not its land or natural resources, but its people, and education is the foundation needed to develop that human resource. “Human resources are the number one resource for Vanuatu,” he said. Mr. Batten said countries that have successfully moved from being less developed to more advanced economies have done so by investing heavily in education and building a skilled population. However, he said Vanuatu’s current education results remain a major concern despite the country spending a significant amount of its national budget on education. “Vanuatu gives a lot of money per capita into education, but the results are still among the lowest in the Pacific,” he said. The Pikinini Playtime founder said the challenge is not only about funding but about how the education system delivers results. He questioned why many students continue to leave school without basic reading and writing skills despite years spent in classrooms. Mr. Batten said the impact of poor education outcomes can also be seen in the country’s workforce, where businesses often recruit skilled workers from overseas to fill positions. “We bring people from the Philippines and other countries to do accounting, bookkeeping, management, building and supervisory work, but many ni-Vanuatu are not able to take those opportunities because they do not have the basic education,” he said. He said the literacy issue must be addressed early because children who fail to develop strong reading skills in their early years often struggle throughout their education journey. Mr. Batten also raised concerns about the value placed on education within the system. He said teacher absenteeism, weak accountability and a lack of support for educators contribute to children losing confidence in learning. “When children see that school is not important, they begin to believe they don’t need school,” he said. Mr. Batten acknowledged that many teachers are working under difficult conditions but said the system needs stronger support, training and leadership to improve outcomes. He believes improving education requires everyone involved — government, schools, teachers, principals and parents — to work together. “Children are smart. They have the ability. But they need the right support and the right opportunities,” he said. Mr. Batten said addressing literacy must become a national priority because the future of Vanuatu depends on the quality of education provided to today’s children. SOURCE: VANUATU DAILY POST

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