Aid for Vanuatu called for

DONATIONS: GEMCO Construction and Trades commercial manager Ash Zachan and administrator Steph Halstead with a pile of donated goods to be shipped to Vanuatu following Cyclone Pam.PHOTO/DUNCAN BROWN

Cyclone Pam robbed Vanuatu locals of a means to feed and clothe themselves, a Hawke's Bay family living there says.

Phil Dooney, his wife, Rhonda Dooney-Smith, and three children Grace, 10, Reeve, 9, and Mayah, 7, moved to picturesque Port Vila to teach at an International School there.

Eight weeks into a two-year teaching contract news had come that a tropical cyclone was on its way.

"We had two days' warning so we battened down.

"It was really slow moving so it was just a matter of waiting - the longer it takes to build the more intense it will be," Mr Dooney said.

"There was an element of uncertainty because we had never been through it.

"We moved everything downstairs in case we lost the roof ... but we were very lucky."

As harsh wind whipped and rain lashed at the windows the children had slept and Mr Dooney continued to stormproof their two storey home.

When they stepped outside the next day a wasteland had greeted them. Lush greenery had been stripped away, leaving devastation.

"Many of the locals lost everything. It's really sad. The Ni-Vanuatu people live on growing their own fruit and vegetables which they sell at the markets.

"They use that money to buy meat or rice or clothes. That's all gone. It's going to take six months for crops to grow. They are replanting already."

It was a real concern for the "friendly, beautiful" people of Vanuatu who were left with very little.

Fortunately Port Vila International School had been built to withstand a cyclone and teachers had taken measures to protect resources such as computers and library books. Other learning centres in the villages had not been so lucky.

Mr Dooney encouraged Hawke's Bay people to help the relief effort by donating food or money to rebuild the fragile community. Taradale High School and Port Ahuriri School will provide drop-off points from Monday.

Items such as blankets, clothes, soap and other hygiene supplies, as well as nonperishable food, torches and batteries were all needed, Mr Dooney said.

A collection point for Hastings has also been set up by GEMCO Construction and Trades in Havelock North.

It was a personal mission for GEMCO administrator Steph Holmes and commercial manager Ashley Zachan who had recently visited a friend, Glen Craig, in Port Vila.

They couldn't believe the devastation they saw on television following the cyclone and wanted to help.

"Glen got in contact with me on Wednesday once he arrived back in Vila to let us know just how bad it was. He had planned for the worst and it all came true. He was arranging for supplies of water from Hawke's Bay to ship over and asked if GEMCO would be willing to hold a shipping container for the water to be loaded into."

The drop-off had grown to include other goods such as clothing, ropes, pots and cutlery. Organisers were still interested in donations of useable clothing, cooking utensils and non-powered hand tools.

Scott and Joylene Lyford from Tranzstore in Napier are providing logistical support to get the donated items to those in need.

"We've had fantastic support from the local schools through donations, offers of mufti days. People from Auckland, Wellington and Tauranga have been calling offering to ship items down and ask what they can do in their cities to send items over.

"It's been pretty overwhelming what we've been receiving and the amount of positive feedback in only a few days."

-Philanthropist Gareth Morgan has said he will match every $3 donation made to UNICEF, up to the value of $1 million. Simply text 'Pam' to 2923 for a UNICEF fund set up to donate toward the humanitarian effort in Vanuatu.