Excerpt from news.un.org
The natural disasters were a major blow to 74-year-old Fangupō Lātū, from the village of Pātangata. His fishing boat was sunk and destroyed during the tsunami, leaving him unable to make a living.
However, he is also worried about how the crisis is affecting his community. “My village’s main source of income and livelihood come from the ocean, but the waves damaged the majority of our boats” he says.
“We sold seafood daily, but now there’s none. Anyone whose boat was not destroyed no long goes fishing, due to toxicity warnings”, he adds, referring to fears associated with the ash fall that blanketed Tonga’s islands following the volcanic eruption.
Food supply concerns
Recovery and food security are the main medium and long-term challenges facing Tonga. As clean-up efforts continue, schools will reopen in Tonga but, when they do, many families will not be able to afford to pay required fees.
Given these specific needs, the United Nations teams on the ground in Tonga and Fiji are working with the Tongan Government, Ministry of Fisheries, and National Emergency Management Office (NEMO) to ensure the needs of people like Mr. Lātū are met.
The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) and Tonga’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forests, are identifying how and where they can assist, to accurately address Tonga’s additional food requirements, and ensure a coordinated response.
A total of around $354,000 in funding from the Special Fund for Emergency and Rehabilitation Activities (SFERA) has been allocated to Tonga, through the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
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