World Vision

In the Pacific, it's triggering what the aid organisation is calling a "pandemic of child malnutrition".

Researchers found that food prices have gone up significantly in many Pacific countries, including by nearly a third in Vanuatu.

There is also evidence that one in five Pacific households have been eating cheaper meals, or skipping some altogether, because they can no longer afford a healthy diet.

New Zealand's atmospheric science agency NIWA is predicting nine to 12 tropical cyclones in the Southwest Pacific basin by the end of April 2020.

Vanuatu is the region's most vulnerable country to cyclone.

World Vision's Vanuatu-based programme quality manager Chloe Morrison said the agency was working with villages to better prepare for and respond to disaster.

They were promoting a range of techniques to help protect livelihoods, including food security strategies.

The Cocoa of Excellence Programme announced the top 50 cocoa bean samples for 2017 from those submitted from 40 countries.

Moli, 44, shared his excitement at hearing the news, "I was pruning my cocoa trees and heard the sound of a text message on my phone. It was from Sandrine Wallez, the Director of  ACTIV Association (Alternative Communities Trade in Vanuatu). I read the text, which said my cocoa beans were in the top 50 in the world. I put down my phone and I cried. The news created a feeling in me of achieving self-reliance.”

Moli, 44, shared his excitement at hearing the news, "I was pruning my cocoa trees and heard the sound of a text message on my phone. It was from Sandrine Wallez, the Director of ACTIV Association (Alternative Communities Trade in Vanuatu)

“I read the text, which said my cocoa beans were in the top 50 in the world. I put down my phone and I cried. I cried for about five minutes. Then I prayed to God. I prayed and I mentioned the donor, the director, technical advisor and the World Vision team. It was a big prayer.

The call comes after new aid data released by the OECD showed Australia slipping from 16th to 17th among the 29 wealthy OECD nations that provide aid.

At 0.22 percent of national income Australia's international aid budget is the lowest in its history.

But World Vision Australia's chief advocate Tim Costello said the upcoming foreign policy whitepaper is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to change that.

World Vision official Mohammed El Halabi appeared before a court today, facing charges of using millions of charity funds to pay Hamas fighters and buy weapons.

The ABC understands the Australian Government has given the charity over $5 million in the past three years for projects in the Gaza Strip.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was suspending the provision of funding to World Vision in the Palestinian Territories until an investigation is complete.