Founded | 1989 |
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Type | Community Theatre and Development Organisation |
Focus | Awareness, engagement and education in issues of health, governance, gender and politics |
Location |
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Area served | South Pacific |
Employees | approx. 150 |
Volunteers | approx. 400 |
Website | www |
Wan Smolbag Theatre (Bislama for "one small bag") is a non-government organisation based in Vanuatu, and operating all over the South Pacific. It is primarily a development theatre group aiming to create awareness and engagement with issues surrounding education, health, governance, the environment, youth and gender.
Wan Smolbag has expanded from a voluntary theatre group to include a reproductive health clinic, a youth centre, a conservation network and a sports centre. It is core funded by Oxfam, Australian Aid and the New Zealand Agency for International Development. It produces materials such as a television show, DVDs, booklets and posters for education and training in communities, NGOs, schools and government departments throughout the South Pacific and the world.[1][2][3][4][5]
Wan Smolbag has over 140 full-time and part-time staff: actors, director, scriptwriter, finance and administrative staff, graphic artists, nurses, peer educators, youth workers, film and radio technicians, and managers. It is based at converted warehouses in Tagabe, Port Vila, and also has a youth centre on the island of Pentecost, and a reproductive health clinic and youth centre in Luganville, Santo. it has two associate theatre groups on the outer islands: Haulua Theatre based on Pentecost and Wuhuran Theatre based on Ambrym. It also has a network of over 400 volunteer turtle conservation monitors (Vanua-tai monitors) based on islands throughout Vanuatu.