Building Resilience

To date, Friends of Tonga has financed vegetable propagation for thousands of people after the Hunga-Tonga Hunga-Ha’apai eruption, procured and installed rainwater cisterns and catchment systems across every island group, transported thousands of emergency kits for future disasters, and built weather-resistant structures to serve as a consolidation point for outer island communities when the next storm hits.

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As highlighted in the 2020 World Risk Report, Tonga is one of the leading countries vulnerable to disaster risk and exposure to extreme natural events caused by climate change.

Climate change is a slow-motion disaster. For Tonga to adequately prepare for, respond to, and recover from its effects it will require a nuanced and multi-faceted approach to successfully minimize damage to its economy, society, and natural environment. Ultimately, the global community will have to find ways to reduce greenhouse emissions to mitigate climate change; however, responses to the specific set of challenges these communities face are urgent and can include a wide range of interventions. These include supporting and building weather-resistant infrastructure(s), planting mangroves and trees, investing in new ways to produce and conserve food, and finding innovative ways to store clean drinking water for crops, animals, and communities.

Governments, organizations, individuals, and communities must collaborate and coordinate to build this resilience. Friends of Tonga views itself as one piece of this overall community.