Samoa

Like many Pacific Island countries, Samoa is continually at risk of natural disasters, particularly with the ever increasing impact of climate change, bringing more frequent and severe cyclones, floods and rising sea levels. Women and men are affected by disasters in different ways. To ensure that Samoa is enabled to support all people in times of disasters, CARE has partnered with the Samoan Red Cross Society and International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent to strengthen the local capacity in gender awareness and programming in times of disasters. This Pacific regional approach to supporting local partners build capacity in gender and resilience programming is essential in preparing communities and government bodies for the ever increasing risk of natural disasters.

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.