Total population is 200,000 people, my island Paama, has about 1500 people and 300 in my village. Majority of people don’t finish education past sixth grade, maturity level is also low, they gossip incessantly, it’s very isolated and cut off from the world, with one race covering the islands. It is oppressively hot in which living and working can be tedious, although the landscape can be absolutely breath taking. Average weekly income is about 200vt per family, some government jobs, teacher positions; health workers receive high salaries of about $1,000 per month. Missionaries came to build churches of every Christian denomination with a few other religions spread out; they also have Bible translators throughout Vanuatu in an attempt to translate the Bible to local languages. The missionaries also brought with them the concept of clothes and modesty. Physical punishment is a standard way of life here, rape happens often; women are seen as second rate and seen as property as there is a custom in which the men must pay for the woman’s dowry. Some pay anywhere between $150-$900 for the woman. The money goes to the woman’s family.
Children have an adventurous carefree life of running around naked, playing with knives, swimming in the ocean, and eating wild fruits & nuts. There is an abundance of fruits and vegetables to live on, some fishing, some chickens, pigs, cows, goats. Cyclones and rainy season occur for about 6 months out of the year and are quite unpredictable. Earthquakes are also frequent due to the number of active volcanoes in Vanuatu. Mainly the people work in their gardens as 80% of the population lives in a rural village, while 20% live in the urban towns. Culture is fading as they gear towards a more monetary economy, with that comes greed and desperation. 
They are kind and giving to foreigners yet they hold true to many “white-man” stereotypes. There is growing numbers of television sets and DVD players as electricity becomes more available, thus reinforcing stereotypes and disabling the locals form differentiating between reality and fantasy. Internet is available in the towns and is the disappointing cause of much pornography distributed throughout the islands. The Vanuatu government receives majority of its budget from foreign aid donors such as Australia and New Zealand. The local people lack the education and training needed for management and business skills. Kava is their drink of choice, it is a stimulant that grows naturally here with very relaxing effects, however, women in most areas of Vanuatu are not allowed to drink kava. Men and women spend majority of their time separated with gender roles providing a dominant identity.
Community pressures are hard on individuals and cause riffs in projects. Black magic or witchcraft is prevalent in their culture and is feared by many or used as an excuse to charge someone with a murder as they do not do autopsies here. There is no word in their language for “boyfriend or girlfriend”, as most are sold or the families decide for you who you will marry. Family planning and adolescent reproductive health initiatives are in place, they have yet to completely reach the population of Vanuatu and generally go against custom. The culture is a mix of custom traditions passed on for generations and Biblical teachings from the church as every village has at least one church, most have 3 or more.
On the surface Vanuatu is a beautiful country, once you live here and get deeper you see all the dysfunctional realities that every society has.
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