Remember Tonga? The tiny island nation was major news back in January when an underwater volcano erupted in the South Pacific, coughing a wide plume of soot and gas miles into the air. Tsunami waves crashed into Tongatapu, the largest and most populous island in the country. The eruption was so enormous that it was heard as far away as Alaska and was seen from space.
Once the volcanic ash settled, and communication with the rest of the world was restored, the devastation became clear. While fatalities were remarkably minimal, all homes were destroyed on the island of Mango and nearly all on other nearby islands. Ash covered everything, spoiling large swaths of farmland and contaminating water supplies. It was obvious that recovery would take years.
Within days of the eruption, Friends of Tonga, the small nonprofit I run, began seeking donations to support disaster-relief efforts. Donors, including athletes with connections to the region, sports teams, and foundations, gave to our group. In turn, we partnered with organizations in Tonga, such as the Civil Society Forum of Tonga and the Mainstreaming of Rural Development Innovation Tonga Trust, to fund water, sanitation, and hygiene services, address hunger and mental-health needs, and support agriculture resilience projects.
While we are proud of our disaster-relief response, which so far has allowed us to distribute nearly $50,000 to Tonga, the unfortunate reality is that few other charities support the Pacific Islands. Much more could and should be done to mitigate this disaster and future climate catastrophes that are certain to devastate this part of the world.
Lack of Charities
The aftermath of the Hunga Tonga volcanic eruption is an all-too-common tale of disaster fundraising: Major events propel distant nations into the news and lead to an outpouring of initial support. But as headlines fade, so, too, do donor attention and dollars. Such patterns are particularly devastating for places like the Pacific Islands, which have never received sufficient attention from philanthropy — and which are poised to suffer some of the planet’s worst consequences from climate change.
The lack of formal civic organizations in this region became clear in the immediate aftermath of the volcanic eruption. GoFundMe campaigns proliferated, and some people sent cash directly to well-intentioned individuals through Venmo, hoping that it reached its intended destination. These donation vehicles lack the accountability and tracking capabilities that nonprofit organizations provide, but many donors who wanted to help, and were not aware of our organization, clearly felt they had few other options.
Pacific Island communities are largely overlooked by philanthropy in the United States and across the Western world for a variety of reasons. Many view the islands as an idyllic honeymoon or holiday destination, while largely ignoring the social and environmental problems confronting them.
The Asian Pacific Islander, or API, rubric used in the United States also draws attention away from the unique needs and cultural differences of Pacific Islander communities. Specifically, lumping Pacific Islanders together with other Asian groups makes it harder to recognize the special challenges they face — most urgently climate change and public-health needs.
A World Risk Report, released in 2020, found that Oceania, which encompasses more than 20 countries and territories including the Pacific Islands, leads the world in disaster risk and exposure to extreme natural events. The two countries with the highest risk: Tonga and Vanuatu.
First Refugees
So-called once-in-a-lifetime weather events now happen annually, and smaller islands have been swallowed by the rising ocean. Pacific Islanders are likely to become the earth’s first climate change refugees, but much of the world, including nonprofit and philanthropic organizations, are barely paying attention. Just 2 percent of global giving is directed at climate change, and of that, a minuscule amount goes to these small island nations.
Climate-focused nonprofits and foundations in the United States can change these inequitable funding patterns by speaking up about the continuing challenges — and then providing the targeted investments that Tonga and other countries in Oceania urgently need. Funding and aid should not only arrive immediately following a disaster but should also support a wide range of ongoing responses to the slow-motion catastrophe that is climate change. These include investing in weather-resistant infrastructure, public-health interventions, and training and education that will allow Pacific Islander communities to better compete in a global economy.
A network of small nonprofits, operating under the National Peace Corps Association, are diligently at work providing the services and support these areas urgently need. This network includes groups such as Friends of Fiji, Friends of Micronesia, Friends of Vanuatu, and the organization I run. But our efforts are a proverbial drop in the ocean in the face of mounting problems.
The news cycle has moved on from the Tonga volcanic eruption, but the country is still contending with multiple crises, including, for the first time, Covid-19. Until January, Tonga was one of the few countries that had not recorded a single case of community spread of the coronavirus, thanks to quickly shutting down its borders and instituting other public-health measures. However, relief services from outside countries following the disaster brought the coronavirus to Tonga’s shores, and cases quickly spiked. At the time of this writing, Tonga is under lockdown with 11,909 reported cases and 12 deaths, significantly complicating relief efforts.
The crises confronting Tonga will take years to mitigate. Friends of Tonga will be there for the duration, supporting community-driven initiatives and advocating for the country and its people. My fervent hope is that more nonprofits will join us.
