26 Mar 2015

Vanuatu NGO criticises amount of govt rations

11:30 am on 26 March 2015

A non-government organisation in Vanuatu is questioning the way the Government distributes aid in the aftermath of Cyclone Pam.

Food aid gets to Vanuatu victims of Cyclone Pam

Food aid is getting to some victims of Cyclone Pam Photo: AFP

The Chair of Women against Crime and Corruption Jenny Ligo says while people have been complaining about the slow nature of the distribution, there are also issues about the amount.

Ms Ligo says the Government is not sticking to the typical UN food ratio of half a kilogramme of food per person per day.

She says she has seen one woman with a family of 11, only given enough to feed four.

Ms Ligo also says people on Efate are given half the rations of those on the outer islands when the need can be similar.

"In Port Vila they said we have access to the shop but if an employed person doesn't have money he or she cannot have access to the shop because she cannot go to the shop and get something when she or he doesn't have the money."

Meanwhile the New Zealand naval ship HMNZS Canterbury arrived in Vanuatu yesterday.

The ship is carrying food, water, emergency supplies and a team of engineering and environmental workers to help those affected by Cyclone Pam.