In November 2025, WLI Vanuatu Alumni observed a Digital Violence Awareness Workshop at Onesua Presbyterian College in Port Vila. As part of the 16 Days of Activism campaign, UNFPA Vanuatu, together with the Vanuatu Police Force Family Protection Unit, the Vanuatu Women's Centre, and school staff facilitated sessions to 169 secondary school students.
"We watched how UNFPA and the Police and VWC worked with the students. And we thought: we can do this too. We should be doing this too. This is exactly the kind of thing our communities need us to do." Leisale Roberts, WLI Alumna
Embarking on the journey to deliver their own training, the alumni took part in a Training of Trainers program in May 2026, delivered by the Vanuatu Family Health Association and endorsed by UNFPA, alongside provincial youth officers from the Ministry of Youth and Sports in Family Life Education.
Over five intensive days, participants worked through six modules covering consent, sexuality, gender roles, reproductive health, facilitation methods, and effective program delivery. Each session was designed to equip participants with both technical knowledge and practical facilitation skills.
Next, the alumni sat down for a four-hour pre-training session, assigning roles, contacting panellists and support groups, reviewing run sheets and ensuring all policies were in check.
"We wanted to be ready for anything. When you work with young people on topics this sensitive, you cannot wing it. These are real issues affecting real lives." Daisy Rose Sipiti, WLI Alumni
In August 2026, the team delivered two Digital Violence Awareness Workshops at two Port Vila secondary schools, reaching more than 200 students across both sessions. UNFPA, Police Child Desk Officers and the Family Protection Unit, the Vanuatu Women's Centre, and the Vanuatu Family Health Association participated as panel speakers and support partners.
Every session was delivered in Bislama, a deliberate choice that recognised something the team had learned: sensitive conversations land differently when spoken in the language that lives closest to the heart.
Each three-hour workshop moved students through a module. This covered digital violence and TFGBV, gender equality and healthy relationships, and practical steps for staying safe online. Girls gathered with WLI women. Boys gathered with male facilitators, including Danny, a Ministry of Youth officer who had completed the TOT alongside the WLI team. An anonymous question box sat at the front of the room. It provided a safe and private way for students to ask questions they did not feel comfortable raising aloud.
"You could feel something shift in the room when conversations moved from theory to: this happened to me, or this happened to someone I know." Ronaldine Tchivi, WLI Alumna
The workshops concluded with a panel discussion featuring police officers, Vanuatu Women's Centre counsellors, UNFPA representatives, and the Vanuatu Family Health Association. For many students, it was the first opportunity to hear directly from professionals who could explain their rights, available support services, and pathways for seeking help.
Students were also sent home with Bislama reference cards listing the Police Family Protection Unit, the Vanuatu Women's Centre, the Vanuatu Family Health Association, and the helplines.
The initiative reached more than 200 students across two schools and brought together a facilitation team of 18 people, including WLI Alumni, government youth workers, police officers, counsellors, and health association representatives. While these numbers reflect the scale of the activity, the real story lies in the journey that brought the WLI women to this point.
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WLI supports WLI Alumni Representatives to facilitate workshops like this across the Pacific. You can learn more about WLI Alumni Representatives here.