At least 12,500 children in Vanuatu look set to start the new school year in temporary learning centres following earthquakes last month that destroyed or damaged at least 100 classrooms across the Pacific nation, Save the Children said.
PORT VILA, 17 January 2025: At least 12,500 children in Vanuatu look set to start the new school year in temporary learning centres following earthquakes last month that destroyed or damaged at least 100 classrooms across the Pacific nation, Save the Children said.
A 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck near Vanuatu's capital, Port Vila, in December, triggering landslides and causing major damage to buildings and infrastructure.
At least 80,000 people have been affected, according to the latest figures from the Vanuatu Government. More than 200 people were injured, with 14 confirmed deaths, including two children.
Aileen, 18, was with her younger sister when the earthquake struck:
“I feel the future in Vanuatu will be harder because now the schools have been damaged by the earthquake. But in the current situation ... I don’t know where we, students, will get our education.”
Aileen is one of 12,610 students in Vanuatu who face an uncertain start to the new school year due to the damage left behind by the earthquake.
Aileen, who is supposed to start her final year of high school, said she’s unsure whether her school will be ready for students to return.
Vanuatu’s school year is set to begin on February 3, but the ongoing cyclone season and powerful aftershocks have made recovery efforts more difficult, with key infrastructure severely impacted by the earthquakes, including hospitals and schools.
Over 107 classrooms in at least 45 schools have been either partially or completely damaged or destroyed, according to the Vanuatu Government.
The Vanuatu Government has outlined plans to get children back into permanent classrooms and learning but has warned that it could take up to three to four years to completely rebuild the classrooms that have been destroyed.
Save the Children is working with the Vanuatu Government and other partners to address the immediate educational needs of children by supporting the setup of temporary classrooms and assisting in reconstructing permanent schools using disaster-resilient designs. Additionally, Save the Children will be extending psychosocial support to children within their schools and communities.
Polly Banks, Save the Children Vanuatu Country Director, said:
“In the aftermath of any disaster, it is critical for children recovering that they are able to return to their normal routines as soon as possible, and for most kids this would include returning to school, where they can reconnect with friends and share their experiences.
“Save the Children is working with the Vanuatu Government, as well as other partners and donors, to ensure that children who can’t return to their ordinary classrooms still have a place they can go to learn and feel safe, such as child friendly spaces.
“We know as Vanuatu continues its long road to recovery, we need to ensure that global partners support the country’s need to build back stronger, including building more resilient schools and homes, in the face of increasingly frequent and devastating disasters.”
Save the Children has been working in Vanuatu for more than 40 years and has a long history of responding to climate crises and other emergencies in the Pacific as well as supporting children with education, health and children protection programmes.
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