Respond Global

10/09/2025

Getting HELPR 1 ship shape! It's all hands on deck!

10/09/2025

Incredible work taking place across the Pacific as approaches this November 👏

☀️ Essential services, powered by the sun ☀️

Across the Pacific and Timor-Leste, health centres, schools, community hubs and water systems are being powered by clean, renewable energy. Solar is transforming lives in some of the region’s most remote communities, providing reliable electricity for services people depend on every day.

As we count down to , we’re shining a light on solar projects supported by the Australian Government through REnew Pacific and its earlier Business Partnerships Platform pilots.

🇻🇺 Vanuatu | Respond Global’s HELPR 1 vessel is installing 20 new off-grid solar systems and upgrading another 20 health facilities across all six provinces. With support from the National Green Energy Fund - NGEF Vanuatu, the project is also delivering medical equipment, repairing systems in schools and clinics, removing e-waste and training locals in maintenance. Launched in February, it’s powering ahead and more than halfway through, last month electrifying five health facilities in Sanma Province, together serving 11,700+ people.

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands | At Good Samaritan Hospital in Guadalcanal, a partnership with Superfly Limited has delivered a cleaner, more resilient solar-hybrid system now meeting 97% of the hospital’s energy needs. It has saved 19,000+ litres of diesel, cut costs and emissions and reinvested savings into new services.

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea | More than 300 students, teachers and family members at Kokoda College now benefit from a solar mini-grid launched in March, thanks to a partnership with KTF (Kokoda Track Foundation). It powers classrooms, an IT lab with disability assistive tech, a solar water pump, waste incinerator and irrigation system for climate-smart agriculture.

🇫🇯 Fiji | On Rabi Island, Buakonikai Primary School has new solar and satellite internet thanks to a partnership with Its Time Foundation. Its 200+ students now have reliable power for lights and computers, transforming learning outcomes.

All are part of the Pacific Climate Infrastructure Financing Partnership ( ), a $350m initiative delivered by the Australian Government’s Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific ( ) and implemented by Palladium.

⚡ Follow along each week as we share a new story on the road to Belém.

🔗 Learn more: https://renewpacific.com.au/essential-services-powered-by-the-sun/

07/09/2025

A different view of Vanuatu....across the volanic ash plains towards Mount Yasur on the island of Tanna, in the remote southerly province of Tafea. The most accessible and popular of Vanuatu's nine active volcanoes, Yasur is known for its constant, intermittent explosions of lava bombs and ash.

TAFEA Provincial Government here we come.

With the support of Respond Global and Australian High Commission, Vanuatu, we are heading to Tafea province for the final Tafea mission for 2025.

HELPR 1 will be supporting provincial teams, national teams, health response teams and our own cllimate adaptation team to deliver much needed services to the people of Tafea province, including Tanna, Aneityum, Futuna, Aniwa and Erromango islands.

Tahenakarai Tambe Felix Health Promotions Vanuatu REnew Pacific National Green Energy Fund - NGEF Vanuatu Department of Energy, Vanuatu Biosecurity Vanuatu Department Ministry of Climate Change Vanuatu Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry & Biosecurity Vanuatu Institute of Technology- Skills That Matter

03/09/2025

Forty remote health facilities across Vanuatu's six Provinces will soon receive new medical appliances to strengthen their frontline health services.

Alongside new solar energy systems, Respond Global and HELPR 1, in partnership with the Ministry of Health, REnew Pacific, the Australian Government, and provincial health teams, are equipping health workers with the tools and skills they need to deliver safer, higher-quality care for their communities.

18/08/2025

🤝 A Powerful Partnership for Progress: The Government of Vanuatu's Leadership in Sustainable Development 💡

We are honored to celebrate the incredible partnership and leadership of the Government of Vanuatu in driving sustainable energy initiatives across the nation. This collaboration has been the cornerstone of our work and a model for effective community development.

The Government's commitment is reflected in an enormous investment of finances and effort:

✔️ Pioneering Financial Support: Through the National Green Energy Fund - NGEF Vanuatu and the Ministry of Health, the Government of Vanuatu provided a substantial 40% cash contribution. This funding was instrumental, covering a significant portion of the material costs for 20 off-grid solar systems and demonstrating their unwavering support for this project.

✔️ Strategic Operational Leadership: Our partnership extends far beyond financial support. We want to extend special thanks to the Director of the Department of Energy, Antony Garae, for his visionary leadership. His team collaborated with us to create a standardised labeling kit and safety posters for all off-grid solar systems. These co-branded materials, which include a direct point of contact for faults, ensure long-term operational efficiency and safety.

✔️ Upholding High Standards: The Government has also demonstrated its commitment to ethical and quality-driven development by working with us to create new catalogue offerings in the NGEF catalogue. This process included enhanced screening for AS/NZ standards and a strong focus on eliminating forced labor in supply chains, setting a new benchmark for procurement excellence.

✔️ Comprehensive Community Reach: Our joint efforts are not limited to new installations. We also work together to provide essential repair, servicing, and assessment for existing systems in remote areas, ensuring that vital facilities like schools, area councils, cooperatives, and community halls remain functional and reliable.

This partnership is a testament to the Government of Vanuatu's vision and dedication to building a resilient and sustainable future. We are incredibly proud to collaborate on a model that is truly strengthening communities from the ground up.

10/08/2025

Real impact needs more than good intentions — it needs trusted support.

When 160 Grant Thornton Australia partners, principals and support team travelled to Cambodia for their recent Partner Conference, they swapped suits for boots.

They teamed up with Habitat for Humanity on their Global Village Program to build safe and secure housing for disadvantaged families, supporting them and their communities to break the cycle of poverty.

But working in tropical heat and rural conditions brings real health risks: heat stress, dehydration, food-borne illness, injuries. That’s where Respond Global stepped in.

✅ We ran pre-trip health risk assessments and webinars with the team, so everyone knew what to expect.
✅ We packed and distributed tailored first aid kits to each volunteer - plus advanced trauma supplies onsite.
✅ A Respond Global Emergency Physician provided daily medical rounds, heat and hydration guidance, and immediate treatment when needed.
✅ We kept people working safely - and donated surplus medical gear for local ambulance crews.

When your people are prepared and protected, they can make real contributions and build genuine connections. That’s what clinician-led, people-first support looks like.

07/08/2025

Another milestone achievement from HELPR 1's Climate Adaptation Team 👍

07/08/2025

Respond Global's HELPR 1 team recently delivered training in emergency coordination, this time with provincial first responders in Penama Province, Vanuatu, delivered in partnership with the Provincial National Disaster Management Office (NDMO).

The training is designed to build local capacity to lead and coordinate responses at the community level, because we firmly believe the most effective response is one led by those who know their communities best.

Our training programs offer:

✅ Expert faculty – our trainers are experienced emergency management professionals with real-world expertise.
✅ Hands-on, practical delivery – learning by doing, not just theory.
✅ Context-specific simulation exercises – relevant, realistic scenarios tailored to local needs.
✅ Scalable, ready-to-deploy packages – designed to meet local, regional, or national requirements.

Training in emergency coordination is a core specialty of Respond Global. We work closely with governments, NGOs, and local authorities to deliver high-impact, contextually relevant training that equips local responders to manage emergencies with confidence.

If you're looking to strengthen emergency coordination capacity in your region or organisation, let's connect.

29/07/2025

Imagine an emergency surgical operating theatre with no lighting....

09/07/2025

Two weeks + Two remote health facilities = Clean water and reliable energy. 👍✅

Australian High Commission, Vanuatu REnew Pacific HELPR 1 National Green Energy Fund - NGEF Vanuatu Health Promotions Vanuatu

07/07/2025

It's disaster training week on HELPR 1....

16/06/2025

🚢 Breaking barriers to reach every citizen 🙌

HELPR 1's mobile logistics platform just delivered transformative impact across Malampa Province: 1,119 National ID cards printed onboard and issued to citizens in 15 remote communities across 5 islands.

This is what decentralised Government services look like.

For the last 3 weeks our ship has supported the civil registry team to reach very remote communities equipped with ID printers and power supply. Previously the only way to access an ID card was to travel to Port Vila or Luganville, citizens can now access bank accounts, passports, seasonal work opportunities, VNPF retirement funds, plus complete birth/death/marriage registration services.

The impact:

✅ 15 remote islands reached with full printing capabilities.
✅ Nearly 1,120 citizens unlocked economic participation.
✅ Electoral and registration awareness delivered.

This isn't just about identity cards - it's about economic opportunity and democratic participation. HELPR-1 transforms government service delivery by bringing essential infrastructure directly to communities.

We're proud to support the Government of Vanuatu's vision for universal civil registration, and grateful to our donors, the Australian Government and Global Support & Development for enabling this work.

Australian High Commission, Vanuatu Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Malampa Health Promotion Health Promotions Vanuatu