TC YASA - Building Back Better. Building Resilience.

TC YASA has had a significant impact on agriculture and livelihoods. We have seen the damages that have been sustained to agricultural areas, farming infrastructure and livestock. We have also seen that communities that rely on fisheries have also suffered the impacts of TC Yasa. It is important to note that these impacts are not limited to the islands surrounding Vanua Levu, but also to the coastal communities on Fiji’s second largest island.

The UN in the Pacific, recognizes the need to continue to support the Fijian Government, and in-turn support the people of Fiji, in this response effort.

When speaking with communities two important conversations happened – how do we address the short-term impacts on peoples’ livelihoods (looking at the damages sustained to boats, fishing tools, and farming equipment and infrastructure)? And, how do we address the long term needs of these communities?

In this period of response and recovery, it is vital that we think about how we will build back better; how we build upon existing resilience. In this case, it may look like building capacity in areas such as financial trainings so they are not dependent on one form of livelihood and they can better prepare for future disasters.