By STEPHEN KAPAMBWE –
ON March 17, 2015, the Republic of Vanuatu, which has an estimated population of 250,000 – suffered widespread destruction when Cyclone Pam swept through the country, leaving 80 per cent of the people without homes.
Communities across the Pacific Ocean archipelago,  were devastated by the cyclone which drove gusts of wind of up to 300km/h (185mph).
Surprisingly, the cyclone only claimed 11 lives, according to media reports, but the island nation, ranked among the poorest countries in the world, was devastated.

. Lonsdale

Vanuatu President Baldwin Lonsdale said the storm had “wiped out” all development of recent years across the archipelago. He called for global support to rebuild the country as well as help its inhabitants rebuilt their livelihoods.
In Zambia, sections of the business community have heeded President Lonsdale’s call.
Out of humanitarian need, the Zambian business community in partnership with the Rotaract Club of Lusaka,  launched relief efforts in aid of the cyclone-hit pacific State.
Rotaract Club has since announced the opening of a US dollar account number 2435655020010 at BancABC Ridgeway branch in Lusaka for the initiative termed – Pledge for Vanuatu.
Rotaract Club secretary Emma Harvey told the business community in a letter saying, ‘The Rotaract Club of Lusaka stands as proud partners with the business community of Zambia in an effort to make a meaningful pledge to the people of Vanuatu in the wake of the devastation of Cyclone Pam.’
The club and its partners are yet to disclose how much money is being sought for the relief effort and how many partners are helping with the relief initiative from the business community.
‘It is the truth that in the face of devastation,  the partnership between the Rotaractors and the business community of Zambia,  will bring relief and hope to the people affected by Cyclone Pam,’ read the letter in part.
The club feels the aid support would knit fellowship and social benefits between business, youth and international relations between Zambia and the island State.
The Rotaract Club commands a global following of 184,000 individuals in over 8,000 clubs worldwide.
Overall, the club boasts of more than 1.2 million members in more than 34,000 Rotary clubs worldwide volunteer in communities at home and abroad.
Since its launch on March 31,  2014, the Rotaract Club of Lusaka was charted on the basis of making a difference.
Its first project was the Kachele Project for the empowerment of women through agriculture. This project was designed to assist women in a rural community in expanding their agriculture skills.
With its partners Seedco, CFU and Greenbelt, the club was able to educate women who are now capable of planting and looking after their own crops. This initiative is aimed at affecting about 2000 people in the Kachele Community including a colony of lepers who would be fed by the project for a whole year.
In June of 2014, the Rotaractors provided aid to  the Lusaka Animal Welfare Society by spending a day assisting at the Crazy Golf Day, a fundraising event which funds the majority of the shelters for the society.
Later in July, the club participated in the Nelson Mandela  Day by spending 64 minutes with the disabled children of Cheshire Homes, among other things, where they shared the love Mandela had with the community.
This year, the club has managed a large fundraising effort and has been successful in aiding a local hospice with much needed shelving.
The club is scheduled to host what it hopes to be a large field day at the Kachele project where it would assist in furthering education of women, in terms of how to handle their newly harvested crops, what the harvest means for next year’s season.
It would also assist other women in the Kachele Community in bettering their lives.
The club feels the Pledge for Vanuatu project touches the very soul of what it means to be a Rotarian.
“It is not often that we have the opportunity to reach out to another country, joining hands with courage and a large sense of a worldwide community, to aid and bring relief in a time of such devastation.
The club is immensely proud to be a part of this initiative,” President of the Rotaract Club of Lusaka, Gemma Beardsall said.
She said it is the truth that in the face of devastation, the partnership between the Rotaractors and the Business community of Zambia will bring relief and hope to the people affected by Cyclone Pam.
“Is it fair to all concerned? – It is only fair that communities come together in aid of each other in times of struggle, as Zambia’s business community and Rotaract are part of a whole world wide community that both deserve help and are able to give help,” she said.
The club is already in contact with the Ingleburn Rotary Club in New South Wales which is in turn coordinating efforts with the International Committee.
Ms Beardsall said her club was approached by the business community in Zambia to start an initiative in aid of the Vanuatu cyclone disaster.
“We are hoping to raise the  much needed funding over the next few weeks for this cause. As a result, we are looking for partners on the ground, within our Rotary family, to put this money to best use,” she said.
The club plans to work with the business community to raise the funds and then electronically transfer the money to its sister club in Ingleburn which is closer to the epicenter of the disaster.
A rapid assessment report obtained by the club on the damage to the island nation shows that, an estimate 95 per cent of water sources were damaged and contaminated.
Besides that, local communities faced insufficient water supplies which could not be sustained for 15 days or more after the cyclone.
Communities were in immediate need of water assistance, which included rehabilitation of cement wells, underground wells and hand pumps.
The island nation lost agriculture root crops which were completely destroyed. What had remained could only sustain the communities for less than two weeks after the disaster.
Immediate food supplies were required to stem hunger among local people. Communities were also in need of root crops and vegetable seed for replanting.
Coconut trees were  damaged and it is feared, that would affect copra production which accounts for one of Vanuatu’s main revenue earners for its economy.
The damage to the trees will be felt for a period ranging  between five and 10 years.
The nation also suffered damage to its health centres which had roofs damaged along with medical supplies.
Facilities needed immediate repair as well as a replacement of medical supplies which had been damaged by flooding.
Pledge for Vanuatu project founder and Kazuma Group of Companies chief executive officer Sasha Maglov is coordinating aid efforts with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as,  the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit in the Office of the Vice President in Lusaka.
Although the Government has supported the Vanuatu aid initiative in principle, it is unlikely that it would make any financial or material commitments owing to local relief efforts being planned to stop possible hunger, as a result of crop failure in a number of provinces.
The Government is already considering a request for relief supplies to the affected provinces.