Malekula - the “sitting dog” island

Known for its geographical similarity to a sitting dog, Malekula is one of the larger islands of Vanuatu and is situated near the centre of the archipelago. (The Maskelyne Islands are situated just off the southeast corner of Malekula and are considered a part of Malekula.) 

Over the years, the work of the Butterfly Trust in Malekula has expanded to include more and more villages. The work has concentrated mostly on health and education, including health education, but has also involved “build back safer” training after Cyclone Pam in 2015, cyclone recovery work after Cyclone Harold in 2020 and Cyclones Kevin and Judy in early 2023, and Covid-19 awareness and response work between 2020 and 2022.

Much of the work has been centred on the Lamap Health Centre and the provincial hospital at Norsup and has included the establishment of a dental clinic at Lamap.

(To see historical records of the work of the Trust in this community, click on this link to the Newsletters tab.)

Snapshots

Covid-19 – The Trust took part in Covid-19 health education programmes in 2020 and, after Covid-19 was detected in Vanuatu in early 2022, the Trust provided financial assistance to enable provincial health teams, the police and Red Cross to jointly facilitate awareness about setting up community isolation centres on Malekula. It also provided similar assistance to the other two islands which, along with Malekula, make up Malampa Province – Ambrym and Paama. 

Cyclone Recovery – After Cyclone Pam in 2015 the Trust carried out “build back safer” training in the village of Lamap in southeast Malekula. After Cyclone Harold in 2020, in partnership with the Ministry of Health, the Trust carried out a programme of WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) at Vao in northeast Malekula. Much of this work concerned the building of more hygienic toilets. After Cyclones Kevin and Judy in early 2023, the Trust provided hardship scholarships to 5 tertiary students from the Maskelyne Islands in southeast Malekula to enable them to continue their studies.

Health Promoting Schools Programme – The Trust has been heavily involved in communicating with key decision-makers in the Ministries of Education and Health and WHO in order to extend this programme amongst urban and rural schools in each province of Vanuatu. The impetus for the Trust’s involvement came from its early health work in south Malekula. Nutrition and enabling healthy food choices, oral health focusing on toothbrushing, dental screenings and preventative treatments, deworming, personal hygiene, water and sanitation are the main areas currently being integrated under the HPS Programme. The Trust has taken part in the delivery of this knowledge to a number of schools on Malekula.

Dental – The Trust has maintained a dental clinic in partnership with the Ministry of Health at the Lamap Health Centre in south Malekula since 2013.

Medical – The Trust has facilitated medical outreach services including trained health-worker volunteers, dental, eye and ENT screenings, NCD (non-communicable diseases) awareness, and cervical cancer awareness given by Max Albert, founder of the Ikkana Cancer Foundation.

WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) – The Trust has facilitated WASH projects as part of a long-term initiative in the central islands of Malekula, Ambae and Santo. The projects are aligned with the Health Promoting Schools Programme. Toilet designs are based on Ministry of Health guidelines using locally accessible, low-cost materials. The projects are currently focused on areas where water is scarce. Each community is encouraged to drive its own sanitation improvements, at its own pace, with the support of local health, water and sanitation officers. These officers provide technical assistance on hygiene and related health topics, as well as the practicalities of toilet construction. Local council administrators are also involved. They go out into the field and promote the project. They also provide storage points for building materials and encourage community involvement. Projects on Malekula have taken place in north Malekula and on the offshore island of Vao.