Volunteer highlights ongoing need in Vanuatu

March 22, 2015 12:00 am • Last Updated: March 23, 2015 2:29 pm

By By RICK KOSTER Day Staff Writer

A man looks into the remains of a house Tuesday, in the wake of Cyclone Pam on the island nation of Vanuatu.

For 27 months, until November of 2013, Groton native Stephanie Bergado lived and worked with the people of Makira, one of more than 80 islands that comprise the nation of Vanuatu in the South Pacific.

As a community health facilitator for the United States Peace Corps, Bergado and 30 other American volunteers were active in community development projects in a place that frequently had no electricity and existed without modern amenities such as cellphones and the Internet.

Officially, each volunteer lived with a host family but, Bergado said, "In Vanuatu culture, everyone is family everywhere. There are no homeless and no one goes hungry. They really watch out for one another. As an American, I certainly didn't expect to be invited into someone's home, but that's how it is there. It's an amazing, compassionate country."

Now a returned Peace Corps volunteer based in Brooklyn, N.Y., Bergado - whose two sisters, Nichole Bergado and Angelique Bergado, and mother, Alberta Bergado, still live in Groton - remains emotionally invested in Makira, perhaps now more than ever in the wake of Tropical Cyclone Pam. The Pacific storm tore through Vanuatu on March 13 with sustained winds of 168 miles per hour - the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane.

No one died in Makira, but reports from the United States Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) indicate that between eight to 11 people were killed throughout the country and as many as 65,000 people need temporary shelter.

Bergado said, "It's just devastating. Of course, I naturally identify with Makira, but the sweep of damage across the entire country is significant. I know the need for potable water, food, shelter and health care is very urgent. Still, and maybe it's hard to understand the complexities or the culture, but I have so much hope because their spirit is so positive."

Updates and communication with Makira and with Vanuatu in general have been sporadic since the storm. Peace Corps workers in the area were evacuated to Sydney, Australia, shortly before landfall, Bergado said, but assessment representatives have returned to the country and are hoping the regular contingency of volunteers can join them in rescue efforts as quickly as possible. Because of the remote location and scattered pockets of population, recovery is particularly difficult.

"I know a cellphone was just dropped off in Makira, so that should help if they can get consistent reception," Bergado said. "From what I've heard, only about four of the 30 houses on the island are still standing, but the churches and the school are OK. And the medical center -what we call the A-Post - is up and running. I've just seen some pictures, but it does look like grass-roots efforts to get things up and running are underway."

International organizations such as Save the Children, Oxfam, Red Cross, UNICEF and RescueNet have joined Peace Corps volunteers in efforts to help, and New Zealand, Australia, the U.S., South Korea and the United Arab Emirates have all pledged millions of dollars and resources to the region.

Bergado is hoping her hometown region here in southeastern Connecticut will become part of the efforts: "There are many ways to help and so many things are needed," she said. "I know there are a lot of causes and concerns and people are very kind, but this is definitely an emergency."

While Makira and the whole region have a difficult road ahead and Bergado is concerned, she also remains very optimistic. She said, "Someone just sent me a new photograph of a woman in Makira standing with her children in front of their home, which looks like it's been blown up. Even if they have any running water, it's a trickle and maybe not drinkable. And yet - they're all smiling because, to the people of Makira, even this is not the end of the world. They always look to the positive."

r.koster@theday.com

Twitter: @rickkoster

A woman smiles after receiving aid Saturday on the island of Efate, Vanuatu, a week after Cyclone Pam tore through the South Pacific archipelago.