Empowering Women to lead
Our ‘Sister Circle’ outreach program is designed around each council area, where Mitingar encourages our members to identify, develop and collaborate on the projects that matter to them.
We then reach out locally, regionally and internationally on their behalf to access the skills, technical support and resources needed for success. Through this consultative process we identify priority project areas that are essential to building a safe, resilient and sustainable future for the women, girls and community, as a whole.
Mitingar’s Project Engagement is guided by the United Nations 2030 SDGs Agenda complemented by the Inner Development Goals Framework. We introduce the IDG’s Framework and map the 2030 SDGs goals against each project through targets that are relevant to our geo-social context. In the process, our members are invited to contribute their input back into the global goals and IDG internationally.
What makes Mitingar unique?
Vanuatu’s first grassroots women-led body
The Mitingar Women and Girls Association is Vanuatu’s first ever grassroots women-led body. It exists to provide the organisational infrastructure to shift power, unlock funding, and deliver the solutions these women know the communities need. This isn’t another development program. It’s platform investment.
Women in 65 remote islands organising and acting together
Vanuatu is a nation of remote islands where, outside the capital, women are seperated by geography and access to the social, financial, tech and emergency services we all take for granted. Connecting the women has been a major obstacle to their development aspirations. Mitingar is the platform we’re building to provide the institutional support we need to coordinate at scale.
What this opens up?
We know the issues we face but, until now, we have been reliant on, short-term international aid programs which reach only some of us lucky enough to live in most accessible villages on the most accessible islands. Mitingar builds the connecting network uniting the women across all the islands; sustaining pathways and securing resources that flow evenly to all women.
"Instead of decades of slow, sporadic progress, the women can now organise and work cooperatively to rapidly uplift themselves and their entire nation"
Flipping the Script on ‘Aid as Usual’:
Why is this important?
Classic aid approaches consolidate dependency on external funding. Even revised capacity-building efforts struggle against the entrenched hierarchies of the global aid architecture, which is inherently not designed to support truly women-led transformation. Mitingar flips the script entirely. It is a fully ni-Van women-designed, led, and delivered initiative.
All we need is the kickstart to build the organisational infrastructure connecting us across 65 remote islands. This critical investment transforms your role from a ‘donor’ to a ‘founding ally’ who supports us as we develop culturally authentic systems of governance, social leadership, and advocacy needed to safely transition through the social and environmental challenges we face. On our own terms. In our own way.
What WE DELIVER
Local Ownership & Leadership
Supporting women to develop, resource and run our own programs ensures culturally appropriate initiatives addressing pressing community needs.
This aligns with:
UN Women's research into women's leadership in sustainable development
(UN Women, 2021)
Representation and Advocacy
As an independent, member-based organisation, Mitingar provides a platform for grassroots women's voices to be heard in decision-making processes.
This echoes:
UNDP's strategies for inclusive governance
(UNDP, 2023)
Wholistic Approach
Addressing multiple aspects of women's empowerment creates comprehensive change.
This aligns with:
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals research
(United Nation, 2023)
Capacity Building
'Sister Circles' and intergenerational collaboration foster skill development and knowledge sharing, enabling women's self-reliance.
This approach is supported by:
World Bank Women's empowerment research
(World Bank, 2022)
Sustainable Impact
Building internal capacity rather than relying solely on external NGOs creates a foundation for long-term, community-driven change.
This is highlighted in:
Oxfam sustainable development research
(Oxfam, 2021)
Resource Security & Livelihoods
Developing secure, women-led projects (food gardens, clean water access, renewable energy) ensures critical resource security and builds economic resilience against cascading climate shocks.
This reflects the findings within:
Gender Equality Brief for Vanuatu: Women's Economic Empowerment and Climate Resilience
(UN Women 2022)
