4 August 2009

ADRA NZ helps Fiji after floods

Auckland, New Zealand
Adele Nash/Dayan Eager

Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) New Zealand has signed a bilateral contract with the New Zealand federal government through NZAid-the equivalent of AusAid-to conduct a post-flood recovery project in Fiji. The grant was announced in May and ADRA NZ proposed a recovery program, which has been submitted. Work commenced at the end of July.

ADRA NZ is one of a few agencies selected to partner with the NZ government in this work and will be the implementing partner. This means they will conduct the assessments and implementation of projects in 10 communities in the cities of Nadi and Ba, which were affected by flooding earlier this year. Close to $NZ500,000 will be spent on the project over the coming 12 months.

Dayan Eager, director of international programs for ADRA NZ, says, "This is the first grant ADRA NZ has received on a bilateral level from the New Zealand government. The work we'll do with the grant will primarily be conducting a recovery project, which will be implemented through ADRA Fiji. ADRA is well respected and well known in Fiji for good community development work, and also building capacity and community resilience. Disaster management is a big part of our program and this is part of why we were selected."

An ADRA Fiji representative meets with local community members to discuss the best ways in which ADRA can assist towns in Fiji following floods earlier in the year.

The focus is to rebuild the communities and Mr Eager says, "A lot of infrastructure was completely washed away by the floods. We did a relief response there earlier this year through ADRA Fiji but the damage was so comprehensive that it has required a lot of additional funding to assist communities to rebuild."

The major objectives are to increase community resilience to, and prepare for, hazards and risks in 10 communities, and implement a disaster risk reduction (DRR) program. ADRA NZ aims to improve drainage and rubbish disposal systems to minimise the possibility of future flooding, as well as improving basic health and social services by providing the communities with school supplies, restocking the health clinics, providing agriculture implements and supplying clean drinking water to households.

One of the major elements of the project will be conducting a DRR program. Mr Eager says, "For this, we'll establish 10 disaster management committees and train them, assisting them in planning and developing risk reduction plans. Floods and cyclones are common disasters in this area, and the communities will be much more prepared."

The DRR program involves assessing vulnerabilities and risks in the local area. The community will be mapped, identifying low-risk and high-risk areas, followed by the development of strategies and plans for addressing these issues. Mr Eager says the plan can also include working out what supplies are needed, getting support from the government and non-government organisations, appointing people who can be contacted in the event of a disaster and organising a warehouse to preposition supplies.

"Our goal is to strengthen the communities and build their capacity so they can be more resilient," says Mr Eager.

Back to News.