We didn’t spend a lot of time waiting for help from the government, we looked at what we could do to move forward and worked with that, Bua CSO Community head Radovibua Tagivetaua said.
Speaking during the session titled “The Shift to Locally Led Resilience System” during the Pacific Resilience Meeting (PRM) this week, Tagivetaua said taking ownership of the rebuild became something that the people of Bua embraced.
“A village in Wainunu was flooded and inundated with mud and silt so they are now trying to move. Their kinfolk from surrounding villages have pledged to provide pine wood for the building of their new homes, the milling has begun in earnest,” Tagivetaua said.
“This is the power of Vanua resilience. Now, six months after TC Yasa, if one was to travel past these villages and spend a day or night with villagers, one wouldn’t be able to tell that two cyclones devastated their homes and lives.”
I highlight this to stress the resilient capacities within our Vanua, Tagivetaua said.
The PRM brings together all stakeholders within the resilience space to elevate Pacific-led resilience actions and inspire genuine learning and connection to the global stage. It continues today, and finishes tomorrow.
Photo: Radovibua Tagivetaua in white at an FCOSS workshop earlier this year. Courtesy of: FCOSS
