Around 1000 women market vendors in Vanuatu have come together to form the Silae Vanua Market Vendors Association in Port Vila.
The project manager of UN Women's Markets for Change initiative in Vanuatu says the association's registration is quite an achievement for the women given the difficulty of their circumstances after Cyclone Pam.
Begona Vazquez says the association gives the women a stronger legal position and a voice in future development plans for markets in Vanuatu but for now the focus is on getting their gardens back in shape.
"There is still some immediate needs that need to be addressed in terms of accessing to their gardens and helping them to be able to produce surplus so they can sell that at the market and generate income for their families."