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Agnes Herbert

Agnes Herbert is a writer and community advocate from Efate, Vanuatu. Passionate about culture and activism, she actively participates in custom ceremonies and girls’ empowerment initiatives.

‘Don’t forget our past – write about us,’ says Vanuatu founding father | Asia Pacific Report

By Agnes Herbert in Port Vila
A founding father and former politician has urged young journalists to write more about Vanuatu’s history.
In a presentation to trainee journalists, Pastor Sethy John Regenvanu called on future writers to write more about people who have contributed to Vanuatu’s history and record their stories.
“I am one of the few leaders who is still around and we are sort of a rare commodity,’’ he said.
“I’m not going to be speaking to people all the time.
“You may say that you...
Australian Humanitarian Partnership •

Women leading the way in disaster readiness and community resilience

With her leadership and commitment, Nikao took action to address the problem. She worked closely with the CDCCC chairman and engaged with the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) distribution team to rectify the oversight. “I coordinated with our CDCCC chairman, who liaised with the NDMO team to ensure that those left out received their food rations,” she explained.Nikao highlighted the critical need for accurate and updated community population data, which she believes is essential for ef...
Benar News •

US Coast Guard expands its Pacific reach with Harriet Lane deployment

U.S. diplomacy in the South Pacific is getting a boost from the regional deployment of the Coast Guard cutter Harriet Lane, which has started a years-long involvement in fisheries and anti-narcotics enforcement in conjunction with Pacific island countries.
The home port of Harriet Lane, one of a class of 13 U.S. Coast Guard vessels that can carry out so-called medium range operations lasting up to three months, changed in December to Pearl Harbor from Portsmouth, Virginia, as part of recent U.S....
Benar News •

Vanuatu referendum seeks to instill stability after revolving-door govts

An upcoming referendum in Vanuatu to outlaw political-party hopping by legislators has sparked lively debate in the Pacific island country, which has faced three changes of government in the past year.
Dissatisfaction with political instability and a fast-rising cost of living is widespread in the archipelago nation of more than 300,000 people. But there are also concerns that outlawing changes of political allegiance during a parliamentary term could be undemocratic.
The past year has been part...
VBTC •

VBTC - No drink mo draev-Polis

Polis bae i holem trak blong ol pipol we oli drink mo draev long Festive Season.
Long Friday ia, Polis operation Noel i talem se hemi holem taet sam trak mo bae oli rilisim long 2023.
Polis i talem se Operation ia mbai emi difren long ol ol operation blong ol pas yia from bae i kat rod blok mo bae oli mekem ol jek.
Wetem ol pas trabol blong man i draev taem i drong, polis mbai mekem ol jek long ol ples we man i save ko dring long hem, olsem ol bij raon long Efate.
Polis i apil i ko long pablik m...
The Guardian •

Left out of society: Vanuatu’s deaf community push for national sign language

Tasale Edward Bule, a 45-year-old fisher from Vanuatu’s Efate island, remembers the day the world went silent.“I woke up one morning and remember not hearing the birds sing, or the rooster crowing,” Bule says.“I asked everyone to call my name to see if I would hear them – it was then I realised I had lost the hearing in both my ears.”The illness that took his hearing has never been clearly explained to Bule by a doctor. But at 14, and with no access to sign language or disability support, he lef...