On October 16, in the Province of Tafea, the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) completed the last of 6 training workshops engaging the private sector in climate resilience. Between February and October 2020, GGGI, the Vanuatu Business Resilience Council (VBRC), and the Vanuatu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) delivered 6 business resilience training workshops across Shefa, Tafea, Sanma provinces. A total of 55 (36 men and 19 women) small business owners completed the training from the agriculture and tourism sectors.
The training has been funded under the Green Climate Fund’s (GCF) Readiness and Preparatory Support Programme, ‘Mobilizing the Vanuatu Private Sector Towards Climate Change Action’. The project was initiated by the VBRC and VCCI in close cooperation with the Ministry of Climate Change. It aims to support the mobilization of the private sector to help the people and government of Vanuatu reach their long-term climate change goals.
Project activities have included VBRC institutional capacity building, enhancing access to climate finance through information dissemination, and the development of a Vanuatu Business Resilience Training Handbook and Toolkit, which were critical in the delivery of the 6 training workshops.
The handbook and toolkit, due to be officially launched at events scheduled for November 2020, take an integrated approach to business resilience in Vanuatu. The training is designed to support participants to develop and grow their business, prepare for and reduce risk from natural disasters and climate change, while also strengthening community and family ties. Participants were able to directly apply the concepts and tools learnt to their experience dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and Cyclone Harold, as well as increased volcanic activity of Mount Yasur on Tanna.
The tools and activities within the training are based on the Business Resilience Canvas, adapted for the Vanuatu context, and to reflect broader aspects of resilience including climate change, disaster, community, and culture.
Taris Charley from Paunvina Guest House on Nguna Island has “shared my business resilience canvas with my family and use it as the basis for my marketing”. Sarah Nakou Kuau from Tanna Farms said, “the training showed me the big picture of my business and how I can make a simple business plan that I can understand and follow into the future”.
“The training showed us how to complete a very simple business plan using the business resilience canvas. We are able to see the whole picture using the canvas. As we went through the boxes everyone just came to understand both their business and how they could make it resilient,” shared Benson Samuels, Operation Manager, Tanna Coffee.