Accelerating Effective Local Government and Community Responses, and Building Resilience to the Impacts of Climate Change in the Pacific

The Pacific Urban Partnership (PUP) works with Pacific national and local governments, together with community stakeholders to support the countries to achieve sustainable urban development.

Cities and towns in Pacific Small Island States are facing huge challenges, including sustainable development, climate change and socio-economic recovery post-pandemic. These communities are some of the most vulnerable to climate change in the world, so it is critical to involve urban local governments and their communities in climate change adaptation, mitigation and resilience actions.

This project aims to enhance urban climate change adaptation, mitigation and resilience in the Pacific through strengthening knowledge, influencing policy and building skills for key stakeholders to effectively address climate challenges.

With the support of the Australian Volunteers Program Impact Fund, this project will:

• design and develop a knowledge platform on urban climate action to be hosted on the PUP website; and
• develop content – including case studies and videos – showcasing urban climate change adaptation and mitigation actions for inclusion in the PUP knowledge platform and for other purposes to promote local climate action.

Organisational Strengthening Through Empowerment of Affiliated Community-Based Women’s Groups 

Na i Soqosoqo Vakamarama i Taukei Cakaudrove (SVTC) is an organisation comprised of rural based indigenous women’s groups in the remote island province of Cakaudrove in Fiji. The organisation is focused on empowering rural indigenous women’s groups, their families, and communities within the province to value their traditional culture and skills while realising their full potential.

There are 134 community-based women's groups (Soqosoqo Vakamarama i Taukei) representing rural indigenous women in the 15 districts of Cakaudrove Province. These groups have never received organisational training in topics such as governance.  

This project will target each village-based Soqosoqo Vakamarama through capacity building workshops.  

With the support of the Australian Volunteers Program Impact Fund, this project will: 

• deliver an 11-day workshops for 134 Soqosoqo Vakamarama i Taukei in Cakaudrove
• develop roles and responsibilities for office bearers, including the President/Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer. 

Strengthening the School's Organisation to Enhance the Teaching and Learning Capacity of Children with Special Needs

Lautoka School for Special Education is one of the leading academic institutions that support people with special needs in Fiji.

One of the major challenges faced at school is the manual handwriting of reports, which reduces the time available for teachers to teach.

This project will allow teachers to submit reports online and investigate ways to provide online learning materials to families who may not be able to physically access the school. It will also develop an online platform that will allow parents to track their child's performance and communicate with teachers.

With the support of the Australian Volunteers Program Impact Fund, this project will:

• conduct a professional development session to train 25 teachers on the new digital reporting system
• inform parents about the new system and how to use it to enhance teaching and learning from home
• share virtual lessons and other important information on children with special needs to YouTube and Facebook.

Establishing a communications strategy and website for the Pacific Partnership – New Urban Agenda 

The Pacific Partnership for Implementation of the New Urban Agenda (PP-NUA) was established to accelerate the implementation of the New Urban Agenda and to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in the Pacific.
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A dedicated website for the partnership is needed, together with materials promoting and disseminating information on sustainable urbanisation in the Pacific. The website will provide a platform to share knowledge and serve as a repository for Pacific Island members to access resources relevant to SDG achievement. It will also enhance capacity in advocacy, communications and knowledge management.

With the support of the Australian Volunteers Program Impact Fund, this project will:

• host a communication strategy workshop to plan the website
• produce a communications strategy that will inform the website content
• contract a web developer to develop a website concept
• develop and launch the approved website.

These activities will result in improved communication, coordination and knowledge sharing between the PP-NUA and stakeholders. For most Pacific Island countries this is the only practical way their information could be shared due limitations with internet coverage and funding to host their own websites. Ultimately, the website will enable positive change as the PP-NUA seeks to facilitate increased actions, behaviours and improved policy in sustainable urbanisation.

Supporting communities to be better equipped to propagate fruit trees, ensuring more resilient and disaster tolerant communities

The Vivekanda Technical Centre (VTC) will build the capacity of rural Fijian women in propagation of fruit trees by enhancing their traditional knowledge with modern strategies.

Fiji is becoming more vulnerable to climate change-induced natural disasters such as persistent flooding, rising sea levels and high intensity tropical cyclones. VTC will help Fijians build their knowledge, skills and resources to improve sustainable food security and engineering agricultural systems that are more tolerant to climate disasters. As well as providing fruit, the trees also provide benefits as firewood, managing microclimates and reducing erosion in highly tilled areas.

With the support of the Australian Volunteers Program Impact Fund, this project will:

• deliver two-day community-based workshops targeting rural women and inclusive of men
• establish community programs that encourage the propagation of fruit trees, which can be re-sold to the VTC
• produce a rural disaster resilience booklet that will include information on fruit tree production and their environmental and economic benefits. 

VTC will increase participants’ knowledge of fruit tree propagation and their role in diversification, which will lead to more sustainable systems and resilience in disasters.

Working towards eliminating cervical cancer by 2030

The Fiji Cancer Society aims to reduce late presentation of cancer through early detection activities with young women. Women in Fiji cannot easily access life-saving early detection services, such as pap smears or cervical and breast cancer screening. This project will target female students at Fijian tertiary institutions including women from different cultural identities, LGBTQI+ people and people living with a disability.  

With the support of the Australian Volunteers Program Impact Fund, the project will engage, educate and motivate students to take charge of their health, including understanding the early signs and symptoms of cancer. This will include: 

• consultation with Fijian tertiary institutions, including the University of the South Pacific and Fiji National University, to tailor early detection activities to students’ needs 
• providing vaginal speculums for cervical cancer screening 
• providing free breast screening to men and women regardless of their sexual orientation (LGBTQI+) and abilities 
• training public health qualified youth volunteers to be advocates on cancer prevention 

• distributing resources on cancer prevention including healthy lifestyle, stress management, diet and anti-smoking advice. 

This project aims to ultimately reduce the burden on government and local health centres that provide palliative care and contribute to the World Health Organisations’ strategic goal of eliminating cervical cancer by 2030. Investment in early detection activities will improve the quality of life of women in Fiji. 

Promoting inclusion and diversity by upskilling students with a disability 

The Lautoka School for Special Education will provide the resources and equipment required for teachers to train and prepare students with a disability for work in Fiji. It will improve the quality of vocational and life-skills training, providing the hands-on experience required students to succeed at work. 

The Lautoka School for Special Education provides vocational training to students living with a disability. Students at the vocational training centre are provided with opportunities to develop skills that will enable them to secure a job. The students are trained in cooking, sewing, handicrafts and office work. Qualified teachers provide comprehensive learning support to students, tailored to their needs and goals.  

The success of this vocational training is limited by a lack of resources. With support from the Australian Volunteers Program Impact Fund, this project will be able to provide the practical hands-on experience needed to prepare students for real job/life situations. Teachers will provide the skills needed to assist students in the job market and prepare them holistically for the real world. Students will also be encouraged to become entrepreneurs by creating their own goods and services. The project will also provide students with opportunities to work collaboratively with others. 

This funding will be used to purchase whatever resources, equipment and training materials are needed to help students master vocational skills. For example, purchasing sewing machines so students can learn to sew, providing the skills to work in a garment factory or run a tailoring business from home. 

The skills taught during the vocational classes will benefit students throughout their lives, improving their social connections, financial independence and capacity to care for themselves.

Development of materials to support gender equality, disability and social inclusion activities in outreach programs through community consultation 

Tennis Fiji aims to improve support for gender inclusion, respectful relationships and disability inclusion measures in Tennis Fiji’s outreach development programs. 

With the support of the Australian Volunteers Program Impact Fund, this project will create publications that combine tennis activities with positive social messaging about gender equality, respectful relationships, disability and social inclusion measures. These messages will be paired with suitable traditional stories from Fijian communities. These stories will be collected through workshops in the Nadi and Lautoka regions. Participants will include people from Fijian and Indo-Fijian communities, women’s groups, disability activist groups, low socio-economic communities and diverse religious communities.   

The project will also include workshops with Tennis Fiji’s community children’s program to produce artwork that highlights their perceptions and enjoyment of tennis. Content produced at these workshops will be used to illustrate the publications about gender equality, respectful relationships, disability and social inclusion measures. 

Project materials will be used to train new development officers and community leaders and to maintain the sustainability of Tennis Fiji’s community sports programs.‍ This project aims to create materials that Tennis Fiji and its communities can own, be proud of and use to engage people in sport and spread positive social inclusion messages that are relevant to the Fijian context.  

Building and enhancing disaster resilience in rural women of Cakaudrove province 

Na i Soqosoqo Vakamarama i Taukei Cakaudrove will build the capacity of rural Fijian women in disaster resilience, enhancing their traditional knowledge with modern disaster resilience strategies. The project will help participants to build the knowledge, skills and resources required to support their families and communities to improve sustainable food security.  

Cakaudrove province in northern Fiji is becoming more vulnerable to climate change-induced natural disasters such as persistent flooding, rising sea levels and high intensity tropical cyclones.  

With the support of the Australian Volunteers Program Impact Fund, this project will: 

• deliver two-day community-based workshops targeting rural women, and open to young people, men and community elders 
• establish community food plots to act as nurseries for disaster resilient crops such as kumala (sweet potatoes), yams, dalo ni tana (Xanthosoma sagittifolium), and via (Alocasia macrorrhiza)
• produce a rural disaster resilience booklet that will include information collected from workshops, traditional knowledge and images of community food plots. 

This project will increase participants’ knowledge of disaster resilience, strengthening their role in their families and communities as a key resource during natural disasters. Participants will share traditional methods and knowledge that are still practiced or that can be revived.  

Building climate resilience in Natewa Bay through coral restoration 

The Savusavu Tourism Association will rehabilitate degraded reefs in Fiji by using coral nurseries to grow coral fragments that are selected for their thermal tolerance. Participants will replant corals in degraded areas of reef, restoring the structure and improving its resilience to climate change.  

Natewa Bay reefs suffer from degradation due to climate change, including damage caused by rising sea surface temperatures and the increasing frequency and severity of storms. Climate change-related heat stress also damages reef-building corals, which leads to the collapse of the reef ecosystems that support marine life and fisheries. There are no current coral restoration projects in the region. Without intervention, damaged reefs could deteriorate completely, compromising food security for communities that rely on these fisheries.  

This project will improve restoration efforts by enhancing the heat-tolerance of coral communities and creating new breeding populations of naturally occurring corals. ‍‍‍With the support of the Australian Volunteers Program Impact Fund, this project will establish coral nurseries at eight reefs, allowing coral communities to re-establish. It will include: 

• installing horizontal rope nurseries 
• training local community wardens to manage the rope nurseries including selecting heat-resistant corals, safely removing coral fragments and installing them in rope nurseries 
• monitoring coral nurseries and replanting of grown corals onto degraded reefs. 

Participants will become long-term custodians of reef restoration efforts and will be responsible for maintaining coral nurseries. Communities will be engaged to take an even greater interest in the health of their reefs. Coral nurseries could also become part of ecotourism activities in Natewa Bay, creating stronger economic foundations for these communities.