The Vanuatu Photo Project: Meet Ann-Ruth & Florence

Throughout the program, Florence encountered experiences that inspired her to grow. She gained knowledge and built skills that enabled her to become a leader at home, at her local church, within her community, on her island and at her workplace. The people she met through the YWLP network further inspired and impacted what she does and who she is today. Florence currently works as a Gender Equality Together Officer at CARE in Vanuatu, where she supports delivery of the YWLP to other young women.

Florence’s leadership journey involved learning new things and inspiring a lot of young people in her community and those she has encountered along the way.

Despite the obstacles she has faced, Florence now knows the qualities of a good leader and the tools leaders can use to achieve their goals. She shared, “Most importantly, through it all, I came to discover who I am and what I want.”

The YWLP is not the end of the journey, but rather, the beginning. She aspires to explore and pursue all the opportunities that come her way.

The Vanuatu Young Women’s Leadership Program (YWLP) is implemented by CARE in Vanuatu with the generous support of the Australian Government. The YWLP is a 12-month program which promotes the leadership of young women so they can take action to promote gender equality and eliminate violence against women and young girls in Vanuatu. Over eighty young women aged 18 to 30, including women with disabilities and diverse gender identities, have graduated from the program since it started in 2017. These graduates are now using the knowledge, skills and confidence strengthened through the YWLP to realize gender equality in their families, communities and across Vanuatu. All the young women featured in these stories, and those who captured their photographs and stories, are YWLP graduates.