In the grip of climate change and modification of lifestyle caused by globalisation, the country gradually suffer from the loss of cultural marks, accumulation of plastic waste and degradation of public health.Moreover, strong climate change forces the population of Vanuatu who has always been independent with food and building materials to look for solutions from outside and then depend on money: use of more resistant and sustainable materials to face cyclones getting stronger and stronger (cement, iron framework) and purchase of basic needs like rice, flour or water to survive to regular droughts over six months or climate disasters.Tourism is the main income of Vanuatu and tourist activities is developing fast.

The goal of this project is to create local micro economy allowing families of Vao to provide their essentials needs: school fees for the children, health costs, and the few materials and supplies than cannot be produced locally.School fees are the main outcome of the population of Vanuatu, and education of future generation is the most important issue of this beautiful country. Violaine, daughter of the chief of the tribe, has a diploma in Management of Tourism units from the university of Port Vila Pierre, her husband, is an agronomic engineer and chairman of a consultant office working to develop organic and sustainable agriculture and Cecilia, who the community adopted through custom, is a consultant in environment and health.

More than 80 of the population lives in rural areas, very few developed and almost independent.Other 20 moved to towns, where a monthly salary is about 250 Euros and where the cost of living is extremely high, causing vulnerability to goods consumption, poorness, and loss of cultural identity.Therefore, Vanuatu is the country the most exposed to natural disasters in the world (cyclones, volcanic activity and earthquakes every year) and where visible effects of climate change such as erosion, sea rising, or fresh water access for example.This forces populations to adapt their lifestyle and increase dependency to international aids.Our community of Vao lives in a traditional way at the north-east of Malekula island, and represent over one hundred people, including over 40 of children under 15 years old.We are three project managers to represent this community, but every man and woman Vao is concerned about the project. Once the playground was built, although some may argue we were too old, we still made many memories there.Eventually there came a time where we finally accepted that we were too old to play on the swings or too big to fit down the slide.

Sonnenfreunde Sonderheft Nr. 117