Much to our disappointment, we made a rushed and premature exit from Vanuatu on 12 September.

VSA require volunteers to provide 6 and 12 monthly reports (see previous post: “The Halfway Point”). Mine were consistent in their recording of inadequate engagement and poor quality leadership at the Vanuatu Agriculture Research and Technical Centre (VARTC), the Partner Organisation for my assignment.

Between June and 22 August it became increasingly unlikely that I would be able to continue to work there in pursuit of the fundamental objectives of my VSA assignment. In June I met with the VSA in-country Programme Manager and discussed the potential to transfer my assignment to the Vanuatu Ministry of Trade’s Department of Industry. This was seen as a ‘Plan B Concept’ if progress was not possible at VARTC.

Eventually, on 22 August, I resigned once both Louise and I agreed there was no possibility for success. The key reasons were that:

• VARTC’s leadership (the CEO and Board) did not appreciate the relevance of Market Research, despite having sought a VSA volunteer with the title Market Adviser (Coconut R&D);
• Having put up a discussion document with recommendations, the Board responded with an autocratic and flawed directive that totally ignored the Market Research-led recommendation. No engagement nor discussion was permitted;
• VARTC’s CEO confirmed that a particularly inept senior employee would be the person I would work with to pursue the flawed objective. I had attempted to work with this character for a year and had a clear understanding of the limitation he would represent to positive progress;
• The funding for this flawed Applied Research work was due to arrive after the term of my assignment was due to expire – July 2017.

My deferred letter of resignation (per VSA protocols) contained the following last line:

“It is tragic that so many decent, capable and honest workers at VARTC have to suffer such dismal leadership. They deserve better.”

This disappointment was compounded by another we then experienced with VSA that cannot be discussed in a public forum such as this due to Clause 14 of my contract. See private attachment to the latest e-mail referring to this web site update.

As we progress with ‘life after Vanuatu’, we will increasingly look back beyond the trials and tribulations of the last few months to the bigger picture of our experience there. It was stimulating, colourful, enthralling, bemusing and rich in a highly human way – see next, more uplifting piece: “Vanuatu – A Special Place, A special slice of Life.”

The photo on the left was taken at Aore Island Resort on the Sunday farewell lunch with fellow volunteers. They had prepped Desmond, the musician just visible,  to knock out a particularly poignant song in our honour, to which our friends sang and we cried!