‘Ana, an unstoppable force reshaping Tonga

As a 15-year-old girl, ‘Ana Malia Falemaka was aware of the limitations and injustices that adolescent girls face in Tonga. The discriminatory social and cultural norms, gender-based violence, coercion, and exploitation that ‘Ana witnessed were all common in her daily reality.

Phoebe’s passion for the empowerment of women and girls drives her work within the gender-space 

The staff at SPC have a wealth of experience in the gender and development space internationally, I am grateful to develop close working relationships with people whose careers mirror my long-term aspirations

Increasing the number of women candidates in local elections in Tonga

Tonga held elections for key local government positions in May 2023: town officers and district officers. In the lead up to the elections, FI-E-FI-A’a Fafine Tonga (FFFT), with Balance of Power (BOP) support, ran several public media activities to encourage women to nominate and advocate for voters to support women candidates. These activities included a television panel discussion and a radio ‘jingle’ which was aired repeatedly.

Counselling an essential service for women and girls in the North Pacific

Advocacy and awareness sessions by the Chuuk Women’s Council’s (CWC) Tongen Inepwineu Counselling  Center (TICC)  has resulted in changed mindsets, with men now referring women relatives to the centre.

We will flourish like no other: Flora spearheading women-led disaster response in Vanuatu

While the climate crisis is putting Pacific communities at increasing risk, women across the region are leading inclusive and accessible multi-hazard early warning systems. The Pacific Community (SPC) through the Pacific Women Lead at SPC (PWL at SPC), supports the Shifting the Power Coalition, women’s rights and disability organisations in the Pacific who co-create, and share lessons learned from iterative gender- and disability-inclusive responses to humanitarian emergencies. This work ensures diverse Pacific women’s voices are included in disaster planning and response at all levels, resulting in tangible outcomes around diverse women leaders in the region. Increasing women’s involvement and decision-making does not just improve disaster response and recovery for them – the whole community benefits. The Shifting the Power Coalition’s work was recently highlighted in Inclusive and accessible multi-hazard early-warning systems: learning from women-led early-warning systems in the Pacific demonstrating success of women-led and disability-inclusive multi-hazard early-warning systems established in the region. This report examined four initiatives led by members of the coalition, surfacing distinct elements of effective multi-hazard early-warning systems. One of these interconnected elements is enhancing capacity at the community level which requires supporting community awareness and education and investing in mobilisation measures such as networks to reduce disaster risk. It is in this space – community engagement and mobilisation – where Flora Vano truly shines, forming the core of her technical work in Vanuatu. Flora is Country Programme Manager at ActionAid Vanuatu, the coalition’s national hub in Vanuatu. She joined the organisation in 2017 from the tourism industry to support women-led recovery from Tropical Cyclone Pam. Having evolved  through the organisation – from the human rights focal point to the managerial role she currently holds – she plays a pivotal role in bridging women’s local, traditional, and scientific knowledge. Flora has played critical roles in establishing the Women I Tok Tok Tugeta (WITTT) network in 2018. WITTT has become an important platform and safe space for diverse Ni-Vanuatu women to organise, strategise, and drive community-led responses. She has also been instrumental in establishing Women Wetem Weta (WWW) – a network of young women that monitor the weather and use mobile phone technology to share early weather warnings and vital climate messaging to communities across the country. It now reaches half of Vanuatu’s population. “I mobilise and work with 5000 women on the ground. In times of disaster, I link up with all these women from the National Emergency Operations Centre. The information from the community flows up to government, then goes back to the women in their villages”, expressed Flora. Getting to this point wasn’t easy. The initial work to establish WITTT and WWW required significant effort to ensure women had a firm grasp on their individual and collective voice and agency. “Women are taught to wash dishes, clean the house, and make sure there is food on the table. To say a sentence in front of others is a big step for them. It has taken courage and confidence to even use a pen. They have been silent […]

Government initiatives to be supported for women and children in Vanuatu

The Direct Grant Support to Vanuatu writeshop has assisted four departments from the Government of Vanuatu to write more effective proposals to access gender equality grants, hosted by the Pacific Women Lead (PWL) at the Pacific Community (SPC)

Participants of the workshop received orientation on SPC’s Grant Policy and technical support on aligning their proposals to the programmatic focus of PWL at SPC.

Palau women cultivate success from the taro patch to the policy table

SPC’s POETCom has worked with the Palau Organic Growers Association, Pacific Guarantee System (PGS) groups, Palau’s Small Business Development Centre, and the Palau Bureau of Agriculture and Chamber of Commerce to draft a Palau National Organic Policy.  National Organic Policies are vital to building high integrity organic sectors, assure consumer confidence in organic labelling and create public-private partnerships. The national organic policy drafting process brought together a diverse range of stakeholders, including women leaders and women’s groups transitioning to organics, to the policy table, in turn enhancing women’s public leadership in agriculture.  Once passed into legislation,  the National Organic Policy will increase national focus on the agriculture sector, food security, access to healthy food, and the value of agricultural products. In Palau, “a mesei a delal a telid” means “the taro patch is the mother of our life.” Palau’s matriarchal and matrilineal culture holds traditional importance in the cultivating of their taro patches and farms. Women are the primary growers in Palauan society with subsistence agriculture and fishing being the second largest contributor to GDP after tourism. Though this traditional knowledge goes back generations, socio-economic changes in the country are leading to a disinterest in farming and a move toward other livelihood opportunities. This growing disinterest limits opportunities for mothers to pass on traditional knowledge and farming methods to their daughters. Women have traditionally held positions of power and respect in Palau communities. Unlike patriarchal countries, however, women’s high positions and power is not reflected in other spheres in the country, such as government leadership and businesses. A 2018 Scoping Missions Report found that women in Palau work hard to meet cultural and community obligations as well as family care responsibilities. Though they make up nearly half of the labour force, they are significantly less likely to run businesses. Ms Flavia Ciribello, Gender and Value Chains Adviser for the Pacific Ethical and Organic Trade Community (POETCom) says that, “While men are traditionally involved in fishing activities, women are considered the primary growers. Leveraging on women’s roles as guardians of traditional agricultural practices, the POETCom project Building Prosperity for Women Producers, Processors and Women-Owned Business through Organic Value Chains (BPWP) supports women’s associations to transition to organic agricultural practices while addressing key issues along organic value chains and helping them engage in both the policy and public space.”Organic agriculture is a key contributor to sustaining Pacific cultures and communities and, in Palau’s case, it plays a role in maintaining and passing on women’s traditional knowledge and farming practices. BPWP is implemented by POETCom, a project of the Pacific Community’s Land Resources Division supported by the Australian Government. BPWP is a project implemented by SPC’s POETCom, which is part of the Land Resources Division (LRD).  BPWP works with individuals, families, producers and vendors, as well as with organic governance structures, to promote gender equality and achieve the overall goal of women’s access to improved and sustainable livelihoods through participation in organic value chains. BPWP believes that when women have better access and sustainable livelihoods, it creates opportunities for […]

Deaf girls can do anything

She is one of the many girls in 6 Pacific Island countries who have been reached by projects supported by Pacific Girl since it began in 2019. Through partner-led activities, girls – including girls with disabilities – are being supported to advance their rights and opportunities. The FWRM implements GIRLS ARISE, a program working with girls aged 10–12 years to build their life skills and confidence.

Intergenerational Solidarity in Practice: “Shifting the power” with diverse youth

In the face of climate change, between the slow-onset impacts and intensifying natural disasters, a feminist coalition is making waves of change in an effort to leave no one behind. As this year’s theme for International Youth Day, Intergenerational Solidarity: Creating a World for All Ages, brings to the fore – there is a need for action across all generations to realise sustainable development, including in the Pacific. The Shifting the Power Coalition, one of the partners under Pacific Women Lead, has embedded the practice of working intergenerationally. This is through its regional advocacy as well as organisational practice within members of the coalition across 12 countries. At the coalition’s recent partner meeting held in Nadi, Fiji, representatives from various member organisations reflected on what working intergenerationally means and how they are putting the principle into practice:  “An intergenerational approach in social movements provide a safe space platform for women of all ages to convene,” shared Taimalelagi Ramona Tugaga, President of the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) Samoa. “We need to provide that space for older and young women to come together and learn from each other and come together to find a common ground to move forward.” sdsdsdsd “We are much stronger, more powerful, more impactful when we all work together, regardless of age, gender, experiences and credentials,” said ‘Ana Malia Falemaka, a mentor with the Talitha Project in Tonga. “Intergenerational solidarity can be achieved and seen for the equal participation and equal opportunities to speak and be listened to.” “It takes a village to raise a child and so it takes all of us to create a much better and safer world.” This feminist way of working is also extending beyond the ‘traditional’ actors, such as women’s non-governmental organisations, to disabled peoples’ organisations (DPOs). Through collaborations with the Pacific Disability Forum and its national counterparts, the coalition is sharing its applied practice of intergenerational ways of working as an extension of taking an inclusive approach. “Taking an intergenerational approach means weaving the younger and older wisdom together, it should be reflected in systems and structures that values the collective contributions of everyone regardless of their backgrounds, age, sex, religion [and] disability to help in bridging the gaps in addressing social issues and other pressing issues that matter,” explained Jay Nasilasila, disaster risk reduction (DRR) officer with the Fiji Disabled People’s Federation. “Our organisation serves all persons with disabilities… we value and recognise the diversity within the disability sector. “We employ young energetic individuals who are with disabilities, we ensure that everyone are treated equally when designing and implementing our program project activities and other support mechanisms that are in place for persons with disabilities in Fiji.” By transforming how they do their work, the engagement and advocacy facilitated through the coalition also benefits. At a practical level, actions like mentoring helps to demystify processes and policy language around climate change and DRR. This in turn creates an enabling space for younger representatives of the coalition when they enter ‘unfamiliar’ spaces, such as intergovernmental meetings and outcome document […]

‘Positive Sei’ bringing hope to homes on the airwaves

Tonga was still picking up the pieces after the Hunga volcanic eruption and tsunami waves when the pandemic reached its shores. The volcano’s ashfall had damaged roads, polluted water and destroyed crops. The tsunami waves battered homes and strewn debris inland. The telecommunications services connecting people to their families were just coming back online as news of the first COVID-19 cases broke. A lockdown was swiftly announced to curb an uncontrolled spread of the virus. Though a critical public health intervention, it was an additional blow to the island nation – compounding the issues for many people already struggling to rebuild after Hunga. In response, the Talitha Project – an NGO committed to empower young women ages 10 to 24 to make informed decisions through informal education, lifeskills and development programmes in Tonga – took to the airwaves. The new radio programme Tui ha’o Sei ‘Amanaki Lelei (Positive Sei) aims to support young people through this challenging time. A significant 55% of the population of Tonga – more than half are young people under 25.[1] “We saw that the people’s confidence was low because they were traumatised by these unpredictable crises,” explained Vanessa Heleta, Founder and Director of the Talitha Project in Tonga. “We decided to create a radio programme particularly targeting youths to direct their focus to find positiveness in the midst of all the chaos.” “It’s a part of our recovery process that, even though we had these major climate disasters and now a health crisis, we need to realise that life has to go on with a positive direction. Even if it’s a little step, we have to reboot and reorder because there are so many great things ahead and we really want to see our young people become the best version of themselves.” Vanessa is joined by colleagues from the Talitha Project including Mama Trina (Katrina Ma’u Fatiaki), Funky Mary (Mele Fonua) and DJ Ulu (Alokoulu) and the team makes for easy and inspiring listening. “It’s been great to hear from youth and also parents who say ‘we love your show its real, authentic and you talk from the heart’,” shared Katrina. “Feedback like this continues to remind us about our purpose as agents of change.” Although there have been calls for a daily radio spot, Tui ha’o Sei ‘Amanaki Lelei has been a weekly, one-hour show since it started on 22 February. Vanessa hopes to see the radio programme continue as long as it is needed. “We are in lockdown and people are recovering at different stages,” she said. “We have been supporting one another at this time and need to continue doing so. This lockdown can be a blessing as well for families to reconnect and also taking into account the different abuses in households during this time. “ The Tui ha’o Sei ‘Amanaki Lelei programme is airs Wednesdays from 8 to 9pm on 88.6FM and livestreamed on the Talitha Project’s Facebook page. The Talitha Project is supported by the Pacific Girl programme – funded by Australia and managed through the Pacific Community (SPC) Pacific Women Lead. […]