Vinaka for your kindness!
Following the destruction caused by Cyclone Harold and our subsequent fundraising campaign, we wanted to express our huge appreciation to our amazing community for all your kind donations, support and generosity.
We also wanted to update you on what has been achieved, how your funding has made a difference so far and also outline the next steps in our support to Fiji.
Supporting The National Disaster Management Response
Think Pacific Foundation has been working in collaboration with the Fijian Government’s National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) to support national efforts following the cyclone.
The NDMO co-ordinate the National Management of Disaster Activities through the Ministry of Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management organisation structures at national, divisional and the local community level, whilst also coordinating the response of NGO’s. Through this careful organization, the NDMO directs and prioritizes support for communities most badly affected.
Throughout the recent challenging months, Fiji’s unique resilience, caring nature and community spirit has shined brighter than ever, as Fijians pulled together to overcome both a cyclone and the global impacts of COVID-19. It has been a privilege to work alongside local organisations and Fijian communities to support the national response.
During the past 3 months, the recovery campaign has been working to ensure funds are utilized to assist the most vulnerable villages in Viti Levu, Kadavu, Vatulele, Matuku and Ono-i-Lau, who sadly lost vital food, water, hygiene facilities as well as farming resources and livelihoods.
Funds from Think Pacific have supported the NDMO strategy in the following categories:
- Emergency Response
- Recovery
- Increasing preparedness for the future
Achievements made to date and projects currently ongoing and funded by donations, include:
Shelter
- Support for families whose houses were damaged or destroyed with by distributing additional life-saving shelter, such as tarpaulins, tools, fixings, and appropriate non-food items;
- Ongoing educational programmes and training on safe shelter construction;
- Providing shelter interventions that support owner-driven recovery
Health
- Purchase of water purification, water tanks and jerry cans
- Purchase of fittings for rain water harvesting (guttering, clamps & fencing)
- Creation of LTDD (loss, theft, damaged and destroyed) awareness campaign and messaging service
- Mosquito net distribution
- Pscho social support -ongoing
- WASH services and supplies -ongoing
- Quick-fix WASH Facilities and Fumigation – ongoing
Agriculture
- Land clearance and preparation -ongoing
- Agriculture inputs distribution (seeds, seedlings, and cuttings) -ongoing
- Aquaculture facilities; hatchery/pond repairs, seed/feed replacement -ongoing
- Support to the pine plantation rehabilitation in Kadavu -ongoing
Ms. Vasiti Soko, Director of the National Disaster Management Office wanted to relay the appreciation of the Fijian Government for the kind support so far and commended the tremendous work undertaken by Think Pacific volunteers in Fijian communities.
On behalf of the TP team, we would like to say a big vinaka vaka levu for continuing to keep Fiji in your hearts. Through your kind support, you have helped communities you have never met before in Fiji, but which bore the greatest impact of Cyclone Harold
Long Term Recovery & Next Steps
For the next stage of support, NDMO has requested Think Pacific to assist the ‘recovery’ phase through infrastructure development and support, and has connected Think Pacific Foundation with the Divisional Commissioner’s Office so that the most appropriate projects may be highlighted accordingly that shall allow us to help prepare communities in the future for natural disasters.
The Director NDMO has also requested for Think Pacific to assist in community awareness on their shelter kits, so that communities may be up-skilled in how to utilise shelter kits provided at times of natural disaster.
The long term aim is to help prepare communities in the future for natural disasters, ensuring reduced risk of injury or loss of life in such events. This is a project we are proud to be tasked with and we look forward to assisting island communities to be more resilient and have greater protection for the future.
Vinaka vaka levu!
The TP team