GX Foundation helps Vanuatu tackle vector-borne diseases
July 31, 2025 10:29 pm | Posted in Business News | Share now TwitterFacebook
By Mavuku Tokona.
Communities across Vanuatu are now better equipped to face both public health threats and natural disasters, following the successful rollout of two humanitarian aid projects by GX Foundation.
Since February 2025, the Foundation has implemented the National Malaria, Dengue Fever, and Other Vector-Borne Disease Control Programme alongside the Disaster Preparedness Kit Project, distributing more than 79 tons of medical and emergency supplies.
The aid included 75,000 mosquito nets, 1,000 mosquito lamps, 40,000 sticky fly traps, 10,000 rapid dengue test kits, and 6,000 disaster preparedness kits. These items have been delivered to health facilities and vulnerable communities throughout Vanuatu, strengthening both public health defence and disaster readiness.
Each disaster preparedness kit was specially designed by GX in consultation with local partners to address specific community needs.
Containing 20 essential items organised into five categories—information, water and sanitation, medical, food, and non-food provisions—the kits also include multilingual usage instructions to ensure accessibility for all households.
Following the initial February launch, GX conducted three more distribution missions with student volunteers from Hong Kong and mainland China. These missions delivered over 4,500 household kits and 500 reserve kits to five communities: Saama, Takara, Melemaat, Mele, and Erakor.
To mark the project’s completion, GX held a ceremony on 31 July in Erakor Village. The event coincided with Vanuatu’s 45th Independence Day and was attended by community chiefs, local leaders, and recipient families.
GX Foundation Chairman Leung Chun-ying, who visited Vanuatu three times over the past seven months, spoke at the gathering. He recognised the strength and endurance of Vanuatu’s people.
“This ceremony is not about what GX has given,” he said, “it is about what you, the people of Vanuatu, have faced, overcome, and are now prepared for.”
Leung recalled his first visit in December 2024, just days before a 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck the country. That experience deepened the Foundation’s determination to move beyond emergency relief and help communities prepare for future challenges.
The 2025 Disaster Preparedness Kit Project supported an estimated 30,000 people in Port Vila’s disaster corridor. According to Leung, the project’s value lies not only in the volume of supplies delivered but also in the local engagement and knowledge-sharing that shaped its design and delivery.
“We met villagers who walked for hours to collect kits for their neighbours. Children learning how to use emergency blankets—not just preparing for disaster, but empowering themselves. This is the kind of resilience GX Foundation stands for,” he said.
Leung also acknowledged the support of local chiefs, volunteers, and student participants who bridged cultures and generations throughout the project. He reaffirmed GX Foundation’s long-term commitment to the region and praised the initiative as a grassroots example of the Belt and Road Initiative.
As one student volunteer said: “Vanuatu taught me that true aid means walking beside communities, not ahead of them.”
Though the kit distribution phase has ended, GX confirmed its dedication to continued collaboration in Vanuatu, noting that resilience begins before the storm and lasts long after.
