Vanuatu woman wins climate award for solar lights that tackle violence

Dalila Laus Lalulu's women-led project in Lawital village recognised at COP-31

By LineZotpaper

Published15 November 2026

Read Time3 min

Sources2 outlets

Dalila Laus Lalulu, a woman from the remote village of Lawital on Tanna Island in Vanuatu, is to receive a Gender Just Climate Solutions Award at the COP-31 climate summit for a women-led solar lighting project. Ms Lalulu said violence had decreased and the community felt safer, though evidence is anecdotal. The project installed solar lights in streets and nearly 120 homes, and dozens of lanterns were purchased in partnership with the Australian government and other partners.

Vanuatu has one of the world's highest rates of intimate partner violence, according to the Vanuatu Women's Centre. A national survey found half of respondents who had been in a relationship had experienced physical or sexual violence, or both, from their partner during their lifetime. Many traditional villages have no electricity or lights. ActionAid Vanuatu's Lizzie Moli said women in such areas were sleeping with machetes at night for protection.

Fed up with seeing relatives and friends attacked after dark, Ms Lalulu initiated and helped lead a project to install solar lights across Lawital. Working with other local women, and in partnership with the Australian government, ActionAid, Women I TokTok Tugeta and the business Powerwells, the scheme brought light to nearly 120 homes and provided dozens of solar lanterns.

While the evidence is anecdotal so far, Ms Lalulu said violence had decreased and the community felt safer. "Now you go to the garden … and come back at night. Before you had to come before sunset," she told the ABC. The initiative has also boosted women's standing in the community. Many have taken on paid work maintaining the solar systems or selling goods at night markets, and children are able to complete their homework after dark. Ms Lalulu herself has been invited to become the first woman to sit on the Tanna Chief's Council.

Ms Lalulu travelled to Türkiye this week. “When we heard that our sister here got an award, we scream and we run,” Ms Moli said. “For all the sacrifices, the sleepless nights, the body pain, she finally did it.”

The women now want to expand the off-grid scheme to the rest of Vanuatu. Ms Moli appealed to Australia for further support. "If Australia is listening, from the bottom of her heart, she wants all the lights to reach every house in Tanna to stop or decrease the level of violence," she said. "So the women can feel protected."

Pacific Island Affairs Minister Pat Conroy said Australia was "proud" to have supported the project, which provided clean energy to 1,380 people and enabled safer, more connected communities.

Professor Nicole Kalms from Monash University's XYX Lab, who researches gender-sensitive design, said lighting alone would not reduce violence perpetrated by men, but called it incredibly important and a form of crime prevention that centres women's experiences. “I think it's really important that this project was led by women and that they see the value and are part of the change,” she said.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

Demonstrates a grassroots, women-led solution addressing the intersection of climate change, energy poverty, and gender-based violence.
Highlights the role of international aid and partnerships in community-led development in the Pacific.
Provides a replicable model for low-cost, high-impact initiatives in remote areas lacking basic infrastructure.

Background

Vanuatu is a Pacific island nation highly vulnerable to climate change. Many rural villages, particularly on outer islands like Tanna, lack access to electricity and running water. Intimate partner violence is a significant issue, with national surveys reporting half of women in relationships have experienced physical or sexual violence from a partner.

Key Perspectives

Dalila Laus Lalulu: The solar lights have reduced violence, restored safety to the community, and allowed women and children to move freely at night, while the award is a blessing for the community. Lizzie Moli / ActionAid Vanuatu: Women in unlit villages are prisoners in their homes; the Lawital project is a success, but urgent funding is needed to expand the scheme across Vanuatu so women can feel protected. Pat Conroy (Australian Government): Australia is proud to have supported a successful, women-led clean energy project that provided power to 1,380 people and created safer, more connected communities. Professor Nicole Kalms (Monash University): While lighting alone will not stop men's violence, it is a crucial form of women-centred crime prevention that enables women to participate more fully in society.

What to Watch

Whether the Australian government and other international donors commit funding to expand the off-grid solar scheme across Tanna and the rest of Vanuatu.
The impact of Ms Lalulu's appointment to the Tanna Chief's Council, a first for a woman on the island's traditional governing body.
Whether formal data collection confirms the anecdotal evidence of reduced violence linked to the project.