Communities in North and South Pentecost will receive first aid training later this month after a successful community fundraiser in Port Vila raised VT265,000 to support the programme.

The training will be delivered by ProMedical Vanuatu and is aimed at improving emergency response skills in remote communities where access to healthcare services remains limited.

Fundraiser organiser Julie Lapeyre told VBTC News the idea came after she and her husband, Matthew Earl, visited Pangi and witnessed the need for greater access to health services.

“We raised VT265,000, well above our target of VT150,000, and we were really happy. A few weeks ago my husband and I visited Pentecost, where we met people at the health centre and in the villages. I told my husband, who works for ProMedical, that the community safety training he had been delivering in Santo should also be brought to Pentecost. He said it could happen if we secured funding, so I decided to organise a fundraiser.”

The fundraiser exceeded its target, allowing ProMedical to take the training to communities in North and South Pentecost later this month.

“The outer islands need better access to health services. In recent weeks, ProMedical carried out two medical evacuations from Pentecost, and that really showed us how much these remote communities still lack access to essential medical care.”

Clinical Manager at ProMedical Vanuatu, Matthew Earl, said the organisation has already delivered first aid and community safety training on Efate and Santo and hopes to expand the programme nationwide.

“We depend on donor funding to deliver these programmes, but our goal is to provide this training across all provinces.”

The fundraiser was organised by Kakae Tuesday, a community dinner group established in July 2025 following the December 2024 earthquake to support local restaurants and businesses while raising funds for community initiatives.

Since its establishment, the group estimates it has raised around VT3 million for various community causes.