The power shift: Flora Vano on women leading Vanuatu’s energy transition

As part of our Women in Power series, we are celebrating the remarkable leaders driving the Pacific and Timor-Leste’s clean energy transition.

In the remote village of Lawital in Vanuatu, where fire and kerosene once lit the night, a quiet revolution is taking place. At the helm is Flora Vano, a Ni-Vanuatu feminist, climate activist and Country Manager of ActionAid Vanuatu. With a flower always tucked in her hair, Flora is as vibrant and enduring as the movement she leads. 

Flora’s leadership is transforming the renewable energy space in Vanuatu through a distinctly feminist lens. She has provided leadership to the Women I Tok Tok Tugeta (WITTT) network, empowering over 10,000 women to lead disaster preparedness and climate action in their communities. Her work in developing the Women Wetem Weta (WWW) mobile early warning system reaching thousands of women has positioned her as a global voice, representing Pacific women at COP27, COP28 and COP29.

But it is Flora’s grassroots energy work in communities like Lawital that is redefining access to power literally and figuratively. “Electricity was not part of everyday life,” she says. “People used fire, kerosene or coconut lighting. Solar was something they only dreamed of, never something they thought would become reality.” 

Through a locally-led renewable energy project supported by a BPP partnership between the ActionAid Vanuatu, PowerWells, the Women I TokTok Together (WITTT) Network and Australian Government, Flora and her team introduced solar units to rural communities. The response was immediate and emotional. “The women brought out their mats and slept under the solar light all night. They didn’t celebrate with food or dance, they stayed with the light, telling stories. That’s how meaningful it was. That one light gave them dignity, safety, and hope.”

Energy access has brought more than just light; it has transformed lives. In communities where women once walked hours just to charge a phone, solar power now enables safer nights, access to markets, and even adult literacy classes held under the soft glow of solar bulbs. “It may be a small light,” says Flora, “but for them, it is life.”

Reliable energy also means families can stay together. Children no longer need to be sent away to urban centres just to attend school. Energy access keeps boys and girls in their villages, in school, and with their families.

In a traditionally patriarchal society, Flora’s work has triggered profound shifts. “This is a very male-dominated community,” she explains. “But after just seeing women solar technicians from the village installing one solar unit, the chief told the women they would now organize the annual Chiefs’ Day ceremony, something that had never happened before.” Energy is an important entry point for shifting community power dynamics and gender norms.  “Now, men are coming to women to help fix things. That’s a big change.”

Our project’s success lies in its commitment to local leadership. “This is a 100% Ni-Vanuatu Indigenous women-led project. We believed in them and invested in them. Not just money but also skills and mentorship. They’ve proven they can lead.” Mentorship, Flora says, has been key in her own journey. “I wouldn’t be where I am without it. When the arrows come and they do, your mentors shield you. One of mine is Mama Carol, Feminist Humanitarian and colleague from ActionAid Australia. She unlocked the feminist DNA that was already in me.”

When asked what drives her, Flora speaks with courage and conviction: “Helping women find hope is my dream. Seeing their faces light up when their issues are solved, when they have a way forward that’s my blessing. That’s my award.”

Her message to young women is powerful:

“Think outside the box. Don’t limit yourself to what culture says is a woman’s role. If women from Lawital can lead energy projects, so can you. We’ve shown the path now you must lead.”

To donors and businesses in the renewable energy sector, her call is clear: “Fund women. Fund young girls.  Fund women with disabilities. Don’t discard their applications because they lack experience. Give them a chance. Trust that they can do it because we’ve proven that we can.”

From climate advocacy to grassroots energy access, Flora Vano is not just lighting homes, she’s illuminating futures.

Watch a short film about her work in Lawital:

Flora’s story is part of the broader partnership that is strengthening women’s control and access to clean and affordable energy in Vanuatu. Learn more.

Across the region, women are stepping into roles that are reshaping how energy is generated, managed and shared. Their leadership is not only powering homes, schools and businesses with clean energy, it is building stronger, more resilient communities and showing what an inclusive energy future looks like.

We’re proud to showcase some of these remarkable leaders through our Women in Power series, which highlights women powering change through the Off-Grid Renewable Energy Partnerships program, delivered by the Business Partnerships Platform and supported by the Pacific Climate Infrastructure Financing Partnership (PCIFP), a $350 million Australian Government initiative delivered by the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP). These partnerships are pilots for REnew Pacific, the Australian Government’s $75 million investment in off-grid renewable energy for remote communities across the Pacific and Timor-Leste.