Supporting the Pacific

When disaster strikes in the Pacific, vulnerable islands like Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu are hit hard. Infrastructure is wiped out, livelihoods are devastated, and access to the basics for survival becomes tremendously difficult.

Often, one of the most precious pillars of survival is hit first – clean water. Without clean water, hygiene is an uphill battle, and disease spreads quickly and easily through contaminated water.

We help communities in the Pacific prepare for the worst, building reliable water sources that can be managed and protected even during a natural disaster. We work with communities’ local expertise to build the best water systems we can, and set up local teams to manage and look after them.

Learn more about our Clean Water work.

For many families in the Pacific, school is so far away, or so under-resourced, it’s just not an option.

In the Solomon Islands, just 9 per cent of children are enrolled in early childhood education, and only about 50 per cent of children go to primary school. For girls, those numbers are lower still. Many don’t start school until they’re 9 or 10, when they are old enough to walk the long distances to the nearest schools.

We’re pulling down these barriers, and working with communities to get all boys and girls in school. This means early childhood, basic primary education, and training for teenagers.

Learn more about our Education work.

Locking down a stable food supply in the Pacific isn’t always easy, with changing weather patterns, and unpredictable natural disasters.

When communities are unable to grow crops for a few months every year, don’t have diverse food, and poor access to healthcare, malnutrition is left untreated. In Vanuatu, almost 30 percent of the children under five are malnourished.

We’re building a more sustainable and resilient food supply with communities in the Pacific, through improved farming techniques. This helps not only for day-to-day meals, but also growing extra produce for farmers to sell at markets.

Learn more about our work with Nutritious Food.

There is a lot riding on the success of family gardens in the Pacific – not only do they feed communities, they’re also an important part of local economies. But they’re under threat.

Natural disasters can wipe out infrastructure in a single blow, and our changing climate is slowly eroding the quality of the land being used to plant crops in. Rising sea levels are swallowing small islands and destroying farms.

Now is the time to develop other ways of making money, saving up for the future, and helping families navigate their changing environment. We’re helping set up savings groups with communities, teaching small business skills, and introducing micro-finance opportunities.

Learn more about our Family Income work.

When the climate is tipped out of balance, families in the Pacific bear the brunt. Droughts ruin crops, food becomes scarce, and children become malnourished.

And because so many of these islands are remote and isolated, healthcare centres aren’t always handy. Often, they’re hours away –think a boat ride followed by a truck ride – and on sometimes challenging seas and roads.

We’re working with communities to bring healthcare closer, by training locals about healthcare, sanitation, and nutrition, and partnering with local health centres to raise awareness.

Learn more about our Healthcare work.