Habitat in the Pacific

Habitat for Humanity New Zealand works alongside the Pacific to build resillient communities

 

Communities in the Pacific face a range of challenges that make decent and reliable shelter difficult to come by. Each year between November and April, our Pacific neighbours brace their homes for cyclone season. The frequent severe weather causes mass destruction to homes and infrastructure, and difficulty in accessing the resources needed to rebuild and prepare their homes for the next season leaves families vulnerable. The effects of climate change and increasingly severe weather, a low standard of housing, and a lack of income generating opportunties combine to create a cycle of housing poverty for communities across the region.

 We do more than simply rebuild and repair after disaster strikes. Through development programmes such as Build Back Safer (BBS) and Participatory Approach to Safe Shelter Awareness (PASSA) training, we work alongside community members to build the skills needed to identify shelter risks, and to rebuild decent disaster resilient shelters using local knowledge and technologies.

Building Strength, Stability and Self-Reliance through Shelter in the Pacific

In 2021, we worked alongside community members across the Pacific to build long-term housing resilience. 724 community members in Fiji, Tonga and Samoa completed Build Back Safer training, and 894 completed Participatory Approach to Safe Shelter Awareness programmes. These programmes empower communities to localise local knowledge and resources to strengthen their shelter resilience, so they can better withstand future severe weather. 

In the 2021 Financial Year, we completed critical repair work to 480 homes in Fiji and Tonga, and build 36 new disaster resilient homes for families in Fiji. We partially funded the building of 5 new community evacuation centres in Samoa, carrying out repair work to 6 existing centres. 

We extended our PASSA programme to include Covid-19 preparedness training for 72 communities in Fiji and Samoa, focusing on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities and basic plumbing training, so communities are better able to identify and mitigate health risks and prevent the spread of disease. 

Stand Strong Fiji

Fiji braces for Cyclone Season between November to April each year. Alongside the risk of severe weather, there are a wide range of issues affecting housing quality and disaster resilience in Fiji. 

Habitat do more than just build homes. We work alongside Fijian communities to build safer, more resilient homes using local knowledge, and innovative new building technologies. This work is in partnership with Habitat for Humanity Fiji and the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

 

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Fund for the Pacific

We have a range of programmes across the Pacific to build shelter resilience alongside communities in housing need. These range from our Build Back Safer (BBS) Training Programme, and Participatory Approach to Safe Shelter Awareness (PASSA), where communities gain the knowledge and resources needed to identify shelter risks and to rebuild stronger.

In 2020, we extended these programmes to include Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities so communities can identify and mitigate potential health risks.

 

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