Caritas is assisting people to improve their own livelihoods and adapt to the effects of climate change in Tonga. We have been working with Caritas Tonga since 1999.
Tonga, like many other Pacific island nations, is vulnerable to cyclones and other extreme weather events (both natural disasters and increasing climate change impacts). These events can cause substantial damage to homes, essential infrastructure, livelihoods, places of refuge, and places of prayer across Tonga.
Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand has a long standing relationship with Caritas Tonga, and following such an event we connect with their teams to gather information on the needs on the ground. These teams then distribute our pre-positioned emergency supplies to communities as soon as possible. These supplies include tarpaulins for shelter, hygiene kits, first aid kits, and even kitchen sets among other things.
We have been successful, through local sister organization Caritas Tonga, in helping people increase their family incomes and diversify their livelihoods opportunities. Caritas Tonga provides funds to groups of approximately eight members, for low-interest loans that are used as ‘start-up capital’ for small business ventures.
Business activities include: tapa cloth making, pig farming, mat weaving, kava planting, mulberry cultivation, chicken raising, sewing, peanut farming, yam planting and fishing.
In total, over NZ$200,000 has been distributed as loans to these groups. Loans are repaid in monthly instalments when community-based officers visit each loan group, and these funds are then ‘recycled’ to provide loans to other groups.