Cyclone Winston, Fiji

Empowering Disaster Survivors in Fiji With Homes And Hope

In partnership with:Department of Health Fiji, Loloma Foundation, Savu Savu Foundation, Direct Relief

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Shelters provided to ensure survivors access to dignified homes and health clinics.

Cyclone Windston was the strongest tropical cyclone to occur in Fiji and the South Pacific Basin in recorded history. An estimated total of 40,000 homes were damaged or destroyed and approximately 350,000 people- Which equated to roughly 40% of Fiji’s population- were significantly impacted by the storm. Tifie and Barebones partnered with local and global organisations to provide shelter that was re-purposed as homes and health clinics to help with disaster recovery efforts.

Misaele Keleti Nuvakuaw sits with his kids in the Barebones shelter.

The community leadership team prioritized shelters for elders and single parent.

“As soon as we began to build the shelters, a sense of safety returned.

Each night as we lie down to sleep, the safety settles over us.”

-Misaele Keleti Nuvakuaw

Robert Workman, a recipient of a shelter, and Erik Workman, two years after Cyclone Fiji.

Two Years Later

Erik Workman returned to Fiji with his wife, and with Robert and Ange Workman two years after Cyclone Fiji occurred. They were able to see Barebones shelters still in use and visit with the project partners that made it all possible. Erik was reminded of the self-sacrifice of so many of the people that he met in the first few hours of his trip who dropped everything to help build shelters for one another.

“This was a true Tifie partnership. We were just one part of a great group of people. Shelters from Tifie, training and support from Barebones, medical supplies and logistics from Direct Relief, and local leadership from SavuSavu Foundation, and the people themselves. It was truly the people themselves who were lifting themselves back up.” said Robert.

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Infographic

Thanks to the teams at Direct Relief, Loloma Foundation, Barebones and Tifie, we were able to send 30 shelters to Taveni, 30 shelters to Savu Savu, and 10 to Suva. One water filter was delivered and medical cots distributed to Suva, who’s communities were at risk for water-borne illnesses.

Cyclone Winston Infographic

A Special Thank You

The Polynesian Cultural Center donated specifically to this project, and received a heartfelt thank you from the recipients of the tents. Because of donations like these, we were able to send more shelters than originally planned. Any donation received to Tifie goes directly to projects, not a dollar to overhead.

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100% of donations go directly to projects, thanks to the Tifie endowment. Not a penny of your donation goes to overhead. We are honored you trust us with your money.

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