From Orange Daybreak Rotary Club

 

DISASTER AID AUSTRALIA - WE'RE ON THE GROUND IN VANUATU
 
And, working alongside local Rotarians and others, we will be there for the long haul, helping rebuild communities ... and lives
 
Disaster Aid International (Australia) has deployed DARTs (Disaster Aid Response Team members) Dianne Holland (Australia) and Wayne Beaumier (USA) to Vanuatu. They arrived on Thursday 26 March. Their initial assessment - working within the communities, and with other aid organisations - they confirmed the priority was for clean, safe water. That is confirmed in reports by the UN agency OCHA: "110,000 need clean safe drinking water".

So, we have already distributed (to two communities) a number of Sawyer filters (provided by Wayne), each sufficient to keep a large family supplied with clean water for the immediate term.
 
 
The DARTs are now investigating the most effective places to locate SkyHydrant™ units that will provide clean water for many years. We are also starting with >100 Home Repair Kits and tarpaulins - all sourced locally - with more to follow when they become available.
 
Alongside us, local Rotary clubs and an NGO are playing a vital role. Dianne and Wayne have been working closely with members of the two Rotary Clubs, Port Vila and Vanuatu Grass Roots and also delivering our aid with ProMedical, an arm of local NGO, the Vanuatu Emergency Medical Services Association (VEMSA) committee.

MORE ABOUT WHAT WE DO, AND SOME PRIORITIES 

Disaster Aid Australia (DAA), is a Rotary Club project that began in 2010 (as a company limited by guarantee, and with full DgR tax deductibility for donations) and is a member of the over-arching body known as Disaster Aid International (DAI). Other members are Rotary Club projects in Malaysia, UK & Ireland, USA and soon, others (including New Zealand).
 
Water is one of our most important areas of focus and commitment. "A child without access to safe drinking water is, a disaster!"
 
We deliver the SkyHydrant™ systems for humanitarian projects and disaster relief, and train people in the operation of this sustainable water filtration system. They are an important part of our work in Vanuatu and is ongoing in the Philippines. The Australian-designed SkyHydrant™ water purification system delivers 700 litres of clean drinking water per hour, and will continue to do that for up to 10 years.