HCD-I is a charitable association, devoted to serving the people of Vanuatu by contributing to the development of human capacity in the country. We seek to create human capacity projects and opportunities in three distinct areas:
1. Development and Humanitarian Aid: As a nation, Vanuatu has many strengths, including 35 years of independent government, a growing service and industry sector, a resilient people, a strong culture, and a beautiful nature setting. It is also, however, a developing country in a disaster-prone region, and as such, it has an ongoing need for development and humanitarian aid, especially for those efforts that build on existing strengths and that seek to enhance the capacities and abilities of its own people.
Working in collaboration with La Roche College in Pittsburgh, PA, USA[i], HCD-I will design and offer training programs tailored to meeting the humanitarian and development needs of the people of Vanuatu. The programs will be modeled on the current competency standards developed in the field by, among others, ALNAP[ii] . Ideally, these programs will be created and implemented in collaboration with other humanitarian aid agencies currently in Vanuatu and the region, thereby optimizing the efficient use of resources.
Examples of training programs include: Basic Competencies in Humanitarian Aid, Special Skills in Humanitarian Aid, Essentials of Disaster Management, Community-Based Disaster Management Preparation, Managing Special Needs Populations in Disaster Conditions, Conducting Needs Assessments, and more.
2. Public Administration and Participatory Governance: As outlined in the Government Priorities and Action Agenda[iii], Vanuatu has a need for strengthening the “good governance principles of accountability, transparency and predictability” and enhancing “the participation of all sections of the community and stakeholders in policy formulation, development and implementation”. This need is shared by all countries, developed and developing alike, because strong and shared governance lies at the heart of all healthy societies.
HCD-I seeks to contribute to meeting this need by collaboratively working with interested sectors of the government, to design and offer training programs for public sector officials. Specific examples of programs include areas such as public sector strategic planning, assessment, management skills, decision-making, ethics, and human resource management.
In addition, building on the work done by the Foundation of the Peoples of the South Pacific[iv], HCD-I seeks to work with the community and with schools, to strengthen public involvement in governance. Selected programs might include those using the Participatory Governance Toolkit for the Pacific, research developed by the World Resource Institute [v]and those using curricula from CIVICUS[vi] , Voices and Choices[vii] and other sources, adapted for the Pacific.
3. Special Areas, Research, and Projects: Working with community groups, established organizations, and other populations, HCD-I seeks to create capacity development and research projects in special areas of interest. The focus here is on generating resources, creating knowledge, and developing strengths to support ongoing development. Examples of programs in this area include: grant writing workshops, small business development, micro-funding initiatives, research projects, and more. Special attention will be given here to projects designed to support rural communities and initiatives, projects to support women, children and families in areas of safety, family unity, and gender equity, and applied research projects in all areas that contribute to the advancement of society, including climate change, cultural practices, gender issues, and more.