Earlier this year, we shared a story about how volunteers are transforming ACOM Vanuatu’s work in Disaster Risk Reduction (See Coordination and volunteers key to getting things done in Vanuatu). Now Rucinta Vora, ACOM Vanuatu’s Program Coordinator, writes of the impact that becoming a program volunteer has had on one man and his community.

Brown Tabito, aged 30, engaged with ACOM Vanuatu as a WASH Volunteer. He engaged and assisted with the ACOM Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) programs in 2023/2024. Brown is married with two children and is a youth leader. He loves working with people. Before his engagement with ACOM, he had very limited knowledge and skills in WASH or DRR, but he committed himself to learning to enhance his knowledge and skills in both.

Brown also participated in training facilitated by Peter Newhouse, an AVI Volunteer working with ACOM in 2023/2024. From this training, he gained new knowledge and skills in Rural Water Supply Systems, Water Quality, Measurement, Designing Rural Gravity-Fed water supply systems, Operating and maintaining rural gravity-fed and water supply systems and constructing Ventilated Improved Pit (VIP) latrines.

He also learned to use effective communication skills to communicate information to people in the community. All this learning built his capacity to effectively assist in ACOM’s programs. He also learned new knowledge and skills that enhanced his leadership.

Brown Tabito now has confidence. He is committed to learning which will enhance his effective participation and assistance in the WASH/DRR program with ACOM in future. He is an asset to his community and the ACOM WASH/DRR program.