World Day of Prayer 2021 Narration for Vanuatu Country Background Video:
Vanuatu, meaning ‘country that stands up’, is a Y-shaped collection of over 80 islands in the South Pacific Ocean. Australia lies to the west.
Inhabitants are known as Ni-Vanuatu. Most of these 310, 000 residents are rural. Many are of Melanesian descent with a Polynesian minority. Port Vila is the largest city with 45,000 residents.
Vanuatu people use just under 100 dialects. Children usually start with their village language of Bislama. English and French are used for school instruction.
Vanuatu’s flag is green, yellow, black, and red. These colours stand for vegetation, gospel light, the people, and the blood of boars and men. The emblem consists of boar tusks, and crossed namele leaves symbolizing peace.
Vanuatu has a tropical, humid climate moderated by trade winds between May and October. Temperatures in the northern islands average 27° C with an annual rainfall of about 3,000 mm. Common natural disasters including earthquakes, cyclones and volcanic eruptions. Rising sea levels threaten to erode the land.
The World Day of Prayer artwork created by Vanuatuan artist, Juliette Pita, illustrates the weather and resiliency of the people. The painting shows a mother bending and praying over her child during Cyclone Pam in 2015. The waves crash over her but a palm tree with strong roots bends protectively.
Three-quarters of these mountainous islands, outlined with narrow coastal plains, are covered by natural vegetation. Primary lower forests include tropical lowland evergreens and small areas of broad-leaved deciduous. The giant Banyan on Tanna Island is one of the largest trees in the world.
Less than 2% of the land is arable, and is used primarily for cattle grazing and cash crops rather than vegetable gardens. This has contributed to malnutrition.
In 2021, we pray with all Vanuatu women.

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