Fiji

Inhabiting about 100 small islands in the south Pacific, Fijians live with the constant risks of extreme weather and climate change impacting their homes and livelihoods. CARE has been active in Fiji since 1996 and began working the local partner organisation, Live & Learn in 2016, after Cyclone Winston, the strongest storm ever recorded in the southern hemisphere, devastated the Pacific nation. CARE Australia and local partner Live & Learn responded quickly, meeting immediate humanitarian needs and supporting communities to rebuild their lives with improved disaster risk reduction and livelihood practices. The partnership between CARE and Live & Learn is a great example of the importance of working with local partners, you can read more about this localised approach here.

CARE is also working with ADRA Fiji and Habitat for Humanity to help improve the way needs of women and girls food security and shelter needs are considered in an emergency.

CARE in the Pacific

Though spanning more than 10,000 square kilometers of the Pacific Ocean, the people of the Pacific face many of the same challenges, including pervasive gender inequality, limited economic opportunities, and high vulnerability to climate change and natural disasters. Services in the Pacific’s often remote areas are limited, so many people don’t have access to clean water sources, basic sanitation and essential health CARE, which is particularly critical because of the frequency and impact of natural disasters in the region. Despite a growing economy, income opportunities are also limited, particularly for women. Violence against women and girls is a serious social and economic problem across the Pacific, and women are underrepresented in local and national decision making.

CARE has been working in the Pacific for almost three decades, with country offices in Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Vanuatu and projects in Fiji, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Samoa. We work with and support local partners across the region, including the Pacific NGO Live & Learn, the Pacific Red Cross Societies and MORDI Tonga Trust.