Award recognises community-led, climate‑resilient housing solutions in one of the world’s most disaster‑affected countries.
CARE Vanuatu has received a Bronze World Habitat Award for its “Safer Housing in Vanuatu through Gender Agency and Local Leadership” initiative, announced today at the 2026 World Habitat Awards global event. Organised by World Habitat in partnership with UN-Habitat, the awards honour solutions that advance sustainable, resilient, and equitable housing worldwide.
Vanuatu, a vulnerable country
The project addresses Vanuatu’s extreme vulnerability to cyclones, earthquakes, and climate shocks. Vanuatu has previously been[SF1] ranked by the UN University WorldRiskIndex as one of the world’s most ‘at-risk’ countries for natural hazards.[SF2]
Launched following Tropical Cyclones Judy and Kevin (2023), the project builds on a decade of shelter work since Tropical Cyclone Pam (2015), including prior U.S. Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance (BHA)-supported disaster management efforts.
Difficult access
It also promoted cost-effective, community-led “Build Back Safer” self-recovery, by encouraging participants to find a safe location, engage in good planning and design, build strong foundations and connections, and use cross-bracing which would be resistant to strong winds.
Through the project, more than 1,600 households were supported to strengthen their homes and communities against future hazards, reducing the reliance on external costs, particularly in the face of global aid cuts.
The project also prioritised women’s leadership by empowering them to drive shelter preparedness and recovery through technical training, decision-making, and collective action to reduce disaster risk.
Women and girls in Vanuatu often experience significant disadvantage. They are excluded from making decisions and leadership at all levels, they live with poor health, they reach lower education levels than men, and they face widespread violence. They are also more vulnerable in times of climate-driven disaster. This is why their engagement and leadership are critical during times of crisis, to speak and act on behalf of those most impacted.
Sébastien Fesneau, CARE Vanuatu’s Country Director, says:
“We are incredibly honoured to be one of the recipients of the 2026 World Habitat Award. This recognition truly belongs to the communities and women leaders of Vanuatu who are demonstrating what it means to be resilient. This award has shown that locally-led, gender equal, and affordable solutions are some of our most powerful tools for disaster response.”
Key achievements
Key achievements include:
- Training ‘community shelter focal points’, integrated into disaster committees.
- Developing manuals, tools, and packages for cyclone-resistant construction.
- Demonstrating women’s roles in shelter leadership and mobilisation.
- Scaling cost-effective kits for low-income, remote settings.
This recognition underscores CARE’s broader commitment to climate resilience, gender equality, and equitable disaster funding, and highlights how locally led, women-centred approaches can deliver sustainable housing solutions in disaster-prone areas.
CARE has been in Vanuatu since 2008, working with communities to build resilience to disasters and climate change shocks and increase women and girls’ involvement in community and national leadership.[SF5]
The project addresses Vanuatu’s extreme vulnerability to cyclones, earthquakes, and climate shocks—ranked among the world’s highest by the UN University World Risk Index—by promoting cost-effective, community-led “Build Back Safer” self-recovery. Launched post-Tropical Cyclones Judy and Kevin (2023), it builds on a decade of shelter work since Tropical Cyclone Pam (2015), including prior U.S. Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance (BHA)-supported disaster management efforts.
In remote Tafea Province—accessible only by weekly small aircraft on grass airstrips—the initiative trained shelter focal points, provided affordable household kits (e.g., hurricane straps, nails, hammers), and leveraged local materials and traditional knowledge. Results: Over 1,600 households strengthened homes against future hazards, reducing reliance on external aid amid global funding constraints for preparedness.
Central to success: Women’s leadership, prioritizing their empowerment to drive shelter preparedness and recovery through technical training, decision-making, and collective action to reduce disaster risk. In Vanuatu, women and girls face exclusion from leadership, poorer health/education, widespread violence, and heightened vulnerability in climate-driven disasters—making their engagement critical to represent and protect the most impacted. This advances localization and gender equity principles.
