REnew Pacific’s Respond Global project has reached the halfway mark in its mission to power up remote healthcare facilities across Vanuatu, switching on clean energy and water systems at five health facilities in Sanma Province. The upgrades, completed last month, are improving care for the 11,700 people the facilities serve.
The HELPR-1 team completed a challenging month-long deployment in August to electrify and refurbish some of the province’s most remote health centres. New off-grid solar systems were installed at Saramauri Health Centre, Vulesepe Dispensary and Pessena Dispensary, while essential refurbishments restored and extended existing systems at Stonehill and Tasiriki Dispensaries.
The work went beyond energy. Repairs to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities were carried out at every site, and Saramauri Health Centre received its first consignment of modern medical equipment, including a patient monitor, oxygen concentrator, defibrillator, autoclave and foetal doppler, giving staff the tools they need to deliver better care.
Two students from the Vanuatu Institute of Technology joined the mission, gaining hands-on experience and contributing to the next generation of Vanuatu’s clean energy workforce.
Delivered in partnership with Vanuatu’s National Green Energy Fund through REnew Pacific, the HELPR-1 Climate Adaptation Program is working to install 20 new off-grid solar systems and refurbish 20 more across all six provinces. With Sanma now online, the program is halfway to its goal of benefitting over 80,000 people in remote communities with cleaner energy, safer water and stronger healthcare.
Australian High Commissioner to Vanuatu, Max Willis, said; “When health workers have reliable power and safe water, communities are healthier and more resilient. Australia is proud to be working with Respond Global and the Government of Vanuatu to deliver clean, reliable energy where it’s needed most. With HELPR-1 at its halfway point, we are seeing the impact multiply across the islands, transforming healthcare for tens of thousands of people across Vanuatu.”
Dr Ian Norton, Managing Director, Respond Global, said: “We thank Australia for their support for this impactful project, and for the partnership of the Ministry of Health and Department of Energy. We believe everyone deserves access to health services even in remote and hard to reach islands. This project means those services now have power, clean water, and thanks to the Australian Government, extra medical equipment and supplies delivered as part of this REnew Pacific project.”
REnew Pacific is the Australian Government’s $75 million commitment to expanding clean, reliable off-grid renewable energy in rural and remote Pacific and Timor-Leste communities. Over the next five years, the program will fund locally-led projects that improve lighting, water, healthcare, education, agriculture and resilient livelihoods. It’s part of the Pacific Climate Infrastructure Financing Partnership (PCIFP), a $350 million initiative focused on climate infrastructure in the region, delivered by the Australian Government’s Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP).
The HELPR-1 Climate Adaptation Program is working to install 20 new off-grid solar systems and refurbish 20 more across all six provinces
New off-grid solar systems were installed at Saramauri Health Centre, Vulesepe Dispensary and Pessena Dispensary
Essential refurbishments restored and extended existing systems at Stonehill and Tasiriki Dispensaries