Two-week mission to help the cyclone rebuild in Vanuatu starts now

Bay of Plenty Times photojournalist Ruth Keber talks about preparing to join more than a dozen other volunteers in flying to Vanuatua to help the island nation rebuild after Cyclone Pam.

Our mission is about to begin.

I will join 14 other volunteers tomorrow as we fly to Vanuatu's Port Vila, equipped with hammers, tape measures leather gloves and much more - ready to get stuck into rebuilding parts of Vanuatu's main island.

During our two-week mission we will remove rubble and debris, patch up houses with tarpaulins and rope, help patch parts of a local hospital, a disabled persons' centre and two kindergartens.

Cyclone Pam unleashed its fury on Vanuatu March 13 and left 166,600 affected, with 75,000 people needing shelter, 110,000 people without access to safe drinking water, and 96 per cent of crops on the islands destroyed, leaving people with no alternative food stocks.

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New Zealand Vanuatu Rebuild project manager Dave Eddy knew he had to help.

He had booked a holiday to another tropical island for a winter getaway but transferred the flights to Vanuatu and started recruiting volunteers for the mission.

"I've had an overwhelming response and now have 14 volunteers eager to get on the ground and start working as soon as possible, we also have a few people keen for a second mission beginning at the end of April," he tells me.

Mr Eddy says he could not have got the project up and running if it had not been for all the help from the volunteers, people and businesses who had donated tools and materials towards the cause.

"When I transferred my flights all I had was my two hands and a suitcase. Now we have a very excited team and [the] tools and equipment we need to make a real difference. We've had hammers, tape measures, saws donated to sunscreen, insect repellent and food, all to make the trip happen.

"It's really great to see people from across the Bay put their hands up and say, "hey we can help with that" and come through with the promise in a time of need when people really need it."

I volunteered for the trip because I wanted to make a difference to the people of Vanuatu and help them rebuild their lives.

I expect it will be challenging, exciting and above all rewarding.

I'll be sending back stories and photos which will be published in the Bay of Plenty Times and Bay of Plenty Times Weekend. Make sure you keep an eye out for them.