Tonga
Hunga Tonga- Hunga Ha’apai Disaster Response Program End of Program Evaluation Evaluation Report
This Evaluation Report presents the end of program evaluation (the evaluation) of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai Disaster Response Program (the program), implemented in partnership by CARE Australia, MORDI TT and Talitha Project (the partnership). The evaluation was conducted between July- November 2023 by Iris Low and Leaine Robinson (Collaborate Consulting Pte. Ltd (CoLAB)); Katrina Fatiaki (Tapuaki Mei Langi Consultancy) and Dr. Rev. 'Ungatea Kata and Ofa Pakalani (Tupou Tertiary Institute). The evaluation focused on evaluating the merit and worth of the program implemented by the partners by identifying the achievements of the program, strengths of the partnership modality to build on, and lessons to inform and improve future humanitarian programming.
Based on what stakeholders define as high quality humanitarian response, the evaluation finds that majority of communities, staff, and stakeholders interviewed stated that the assistance provided by CARE, MORDI TT and Talitha Project represents a high-quality humanitarian response as it met affected communities immediate needs (water, agriculture, hygiene kits), reached those in the community who needed assistance the most, was led by local organisations who coordinated and worked with existing national processes and systems in Tonga and who will continue to remain engaged in communities post-disaster to support communities to recover.
Impact: What difference did the program make?
The program has made an impact and positive difference to affected communities in helping to address their immediate needs and quality of living and recovery in the aftermath of the volcano and tsunami disaster. The targeted assistance has contributed to communities improved access to clean drinking water and their knowledge and skills on how to maintain Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) infrastructure; enhanced food security in communities through more options for healthy eating from the community gardens, helping communities to recover quickly, and increased livelihoods for women who sell the surplus produce; motivated communities to work together so that they are better prepared for future disasters and supported different groups (women, young people, adolescent girls, elderly and persons with disabilities) in the community. The program reached 20,182 people (5,593 women; 4,524 girls; 5,149 men and 4,916 boys) across the affected areas of Tongatapu, ‘Eua and Ha’apai, with material and technical support to restore community rainwater collection systems, a significant impact in the aftermath of the disaster which left communities without access to clean drinking water. Read More...
Based on what stakeholders define as high quality humanitarian response, the evaluation finds that majority of communities, staff, and stakeholders interviewed stated that the assistance provided by CARE, MORDI TT and Talitha Project represents a high-quality humanitarian response as it met affected communities immediate needs (water, agriculture, hygiene kits), reached those in the community who needed assistance the most, was led by local organisations who coordinated and worked with existing national processes and systems in Tonga and who will continue to remain engaged in communities post-disaster to support communities to recover.
Impact: What difference did the program make?
The program has made an impact and positive difference to affected communities in helping to address their immediate needs and quality of living and recovery in the aftermath of the volcano and tsunami disaster. The targeted assistance has contributed to communities improved access to clean drinking water and their knowledge and skills on how to maintain Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) infrastructure; enhanced food security in communities through more options for healthy eating from the community gardens, helping communities to recover quickly, and increased livelihoods for women who sell the surplus produce; motivated communities to work together so that they are better prepared for future disasters and supported different groups (women, young people, adolescent girls, elderly and persons with disabilities) in the community. The program reached 20,182 people (5,593 women; 4,524 girls; 5,149 men and 4,916 boys) across the affected areas of Tongatapu, ‘Eua and Ha’apai, with material and technical support to restore community rainwater collection systems, a significant impact in the aftermath of the disaster which left communities without access to clean drinking water. Read More...
The Pacific Partnerships for Gender Equality Project, Tonga Baseline Assessment Report
Women’s economic justice is central to gender equality and sustainable development. Across the Pacific, women are fundamental to the subsistence and economies of their communities, however, women’s work in the Pacific is often undervalued, low-paid and insecure. CARE Australia’s Pacific Partnerships for Gender Equality program is a five-year intervention (2022 – 2027) designed to strengthen women’s economic justice and contribute to a resilient civil society in the Pacific. The program is funded by the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP). Read More...
WOMEN LEAD IN EMERGENCIES Global Learning Evaluation Report
CARE’s Women Lead in Emergencies (Women Lead) model has been developed to operationalise CARE’s commitment to women’s leadership as one of our four focal areas for Gender in Emergencies.1 Women Lead supports women within communities at the frontline of conflict, natural and climate-related hazards, pandemics and other crises to claim their right to a say over the issues that affect them, and to participate in emergency preparedness, response and recovery.
The Women Lead model looks to address fundamental gaps in humanitarian response that result in the exclusion of women from meaningful participation and leadership in the decisions that affect their lives.
Since 2018, CARE has piloted Women Lead in 15 locations in Colombia, Mali, Niger, the Philippines, Tonga and Uganda. In 2020, Women Lead worked directly with 804 women’s groups. Through piloting this approach in diverse locations and within different types of humanitarian crisis, Women Lead has sought to understand challenges, barriers and enablers regarding this kind of programming in different contexts.
Women’s confidence, knowledge and self-efficacy: The evaluation identifies considerable qualitative evidence of increases in confidence, knowledge and capacities. Participants identified the Women Lead model as being relevant to their needs and accessible to them. We can see evidence of women identifying Women Lead as an important enabler of collective action – supporting women to raise their voice, advocate for their needs and engage more effectively with stakeholders. Quantitative surveys support these findings. In Niger, 88% of Women Lead participants feel confident in their knowledge of their rights compared with 58% of non-participants. In Uganda, 58% of Women Lead participants reported ‘confidence in accessing services’ compared with 40% of non-participant women who said the same.
2. Women’s presence and meaningful participation in decision-making: The evaluation finds that Women Lead increases women’s presence, regularity of attendance, and meaningful and effective participation in decision-making community settings. In Niger, 91% of women who participated in Women Lead had attended formal community meetings and almost 60% said they had attended these meetings regularly compared with only 34% of non-Women Lead participants. This had occurred despite men in the community previously challenging women’s presence at these meetings. The Women Lead model appears to normalise women’s presence in decision-making spaces, and we see some evidence of women forming their own decision-making forums and creating opportunities for themselves to make decisions, take action or hold leaders to account. In Uganda, the South Sudanese Refugee Women’s Association has formally registered to become the first recognised women's community-based organisation in Omugo settlement. We also see the incorporation of Women Lead groups in Colombia, where groups have formally registered and started to offer services to other women.
3. Women’s informal and formal leadership: We see strong evidence of women feeling empowered to take up leadership positions within their community, both formally and informally. In Niger, women are significantly more likely to be leaders in their communities than non-participants (31% of Women Lead participants compared with 9% of non-participants). In Uganda, 22% of Women Lead participants hold leadership positions in their communities compared with 14% of non-participants. In Colombia, for which we have pre- and post-comparison data available for this indicator, before Women Lead 21% of members held leadership positions within their community. This had increased to 40% by the time of this evaluation. However, there is scope to enhance this work further and for there to be more consistent promotion of women’s leadership through work around political representation, leadership style and horizontal/inclusive decision-making processes.
September 2022 – Global Evaluation Report vii
4. Women take collective action: The Women Lead approach both helps empower women and serves to address complex barriers to their meaningful participation. Women Lead action plans are a useful tool to mobilise women for collective action to advocate for women’s needs and wants, organise peer support and solidarity activities, and improve their communities by engaging power-holders. Action has also frequently been taken to tackle the preconditions for participation and, in the action plans available for analysis, 42% of actions related to livelihood and income generation. This highlights the importance of women being free to prioritise according to their needs, to ensure they can tackle the preconditions of participation where necessary. We can also see clear qualitative evidence of women taking collective action to make change within their communities. This includes:
• Influencing humanitarian actors and local authorities to address the needs of women and the community: In Uganda, group members successfully advocated for humanitarian response actors to move the food distribution site closer.
• Advocating to address an injustice: In Niger, women had difficulty accessing maternity services owing to high costs. The Women Lead groups advocated to the district medical officer and the head of the hospital – and achieved a considerable reduction in the cost of accessing hospital services.
• Connecting and complementing community actors: In Uganda, Women Lead groups took a lead in addressing community tensions. For instance, when there were tensions around access to land and firewood, women worked with leaders from different communities to put in place agreements on the use of natural resources.
• Direct delivery and problem-solving: We see examples of women working to respond directly to the needs of their peers. In the Read More...
The Women Lead model looks to address fundamental gaps in humanitarian response that result in the exclusion of women from meaningful participation and leadership in the decisions that affect their lives.
Since 2018, CARE has piloted Women Lead in 15 locations in Colombia, Mali, Niger, the Philippines, Tonga and Uganda. In 2020, Women Lead worked directly with 804 women’s groups. Through piloting this approach in diverse locations and within different types of humanitarian crisis, Women Lead has sought to understand challenges, barriers and enablers regarding this kind of programming in different contexts.
Women’s confidence, knowledge and self-efficacy: The evaluation identifies considerable qualitative evidence of increases in confidence, knowledge and capacities. Participants identified the Women Lead model as being relevant to their needs and accessible to them. We can see evidence of women identifying Women Lead as an important enabler of collective action – supporting women to raise their voice, advocate for their needs and engage more effectively with stakeholders. Quantitative surveys support these findings. In Niger, 88% of Women Lead participants feel confident in their knowledge of their rights compared with 58% of non-participants. In Uganda, 58% of Women Lead participants reported ‘confidence in accessing services’ compared with 40% of non-participant women who said the same.
2. Women’s presence and meaningful participation in decision-making: The evaluation finds that Women Lead increases women’s presence, regularity of attendance, and meaningful and effective participation in decision-making community settings. In Niger, 91% of women who participated in Women Lead had attended formal community meetings and almost 60% said they had attended these meetings regularly compared with only 34% of non-Women Lead participants. This had occurred despite men in the community previously challenging women’s presence at these meetings. The Women Lead model appears to normalise women’s presence in decision-making spaces, and we see some evidence of women forming their own decision-making forums and creating opportunities for themselves to make decisions, take action or hold leaders to account. In Uganda, the South Sudanese Refugee Women’s Association has formally registered to become the first recognised women's community-based organisation in Omugo settlement. We also see the incorporation of Women Lead groups in Colombia, where groups have formally registered and started to offer services to other women.
3. Women’s informal and formal leadership: We see strong evidence of women feeling empowered to take up leadership positions within their community, both formally and informally. In Niger, women are significantly more likely to be leaders in their communities than non-participants (31% of Women Lead participants compared with 9% of non-participants). In Uganda, 22% of Women Lead participants hold leadership positions in their communities compared with 14% of non-participants. In Colombia, for which we have pre- and post-comparison data available for this indicator, before Women Lead 21% of members held leadership positions within their community. This had increased to 40% by the time of this evaluation. However, there is scope to enhance this work further and for there to be more consistent promotion of women’s leadership through work around political representation, leadership style and horizontal/inclusive decision-making processes.
September 2022 – Global Evaluation Report vii
4. Women take collective action: The Women Lead approach both helps empower women and serves to address complex barriers to their meaningful participation. Women Lead action plans are a useful tool to mobilise women for collective action to advocate for women’s needs and wants, organise peer support and solidarity activities, and improve their communities by engaging power-holders. Action has also frequently been taken to tackle the preconditions for participation and, in the action plans available for analysis, 42% of actions related to livelihood and income generation. This highlights the importance of women being free to prioritise according to their needs, to ensure they can tackle the preconditions of participation where necessary. We can also see clear qualitative evidence of women taking collective action to make change within their communities. This includes:
• Influencing humanitarian actors and local authorities to address the needs of women and the community: In Uganda, group members successfully advocated for humanitarian response actors to move the food distribution site closer.
• Advocating to address an injustice: In Niger, women had difficulty accessing maternity services owing to high costs. The Women Lead groups advocated to the district medical officer and the head of the hospital – and achieved a considerable reduction in the cost of accessing hospital services.
• Connecting and complementing community actors: In Uganda, Women Lead groups took a lead in addressing community tensions. For instance, when there were tensions around access to land and firewood, women worked with leaders from different communities to put in place agreements on the use of natural resources.
• Direct delivery and problem-solving: We see examples of women working to respond directly to the needs of their peers. In the Read More...
Hunga-Tonga Hunga-Ha’apai Response Program Baseline May-June 2022
The purpose of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai Volcano and Tsunami Response program is to support the immediate and early recovery needs of people directly affected by the eruption of the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai volcano. Read More...
Tropical Cyclone Gita Kingdom of Tonga Rapid Gender Analysis Sub-focus on Shelter and Food Security and Livelihoods
TC Gita passed through the Kingdom of Tonga on 12 February 2018 as a Category 4 cyclone. Seventy five percent of the population or 79,556 people have been affected. The island of Tongatapu where the capital Nuku’alofa is located and the nearby island of ‘Eua suffered the greatest impact.
This rapid gender analysis (RGA) is designed to provide initial information about gender roles, responsibilities, capacities and vulnerabilities of women, men, girls and boys, SOGIE and other marginalised people prior to and after
TC Gita. It provides a snapshot of the different needs, capacities and coping strategies of particular groups in the
affected communities. Taking into consideration the tight time-frame, rapidly changing context and limited information.
Read More...
This rapid gender analysis (RGA) is designed to provide initial information about gender roles, responsibilities, capacities and vulnerabilities of women, men, girls and boys, SOGIE and other marginalised people prior to and after
TC Gita. It provides a snapshot of the different needs, capacities and coping strategies of particular groups in the
affected communities. Taking into consideration the tight time-frame, rapidly changing context and limited information.
Read More...
CARE Rapid Gender Analysis COVID-19 Pacific Region, 26 March 2020 [version 1]
Globally, including the Pacific, development and humanitarian settings pose particular challenges for infectious disease prevention and control. For the Pacific, COVID-19 presents a range of contextual challenges. These include multiple islands, vast distances and limited resources. In most Pacific Countries, access to quality health services is limited, due to a lack of infrastructure, equipment, and qualified personnel.
This preliminary Rapid Gender Analysis has the following objectives:
● To analyse and understand the different impacts that the COVID-19 potentially has on women, men,
girls and boys and other vulnerable groups in the Pacific context
● To inform humanitarian programming in the Pacific region based on the different needs of women,
men, boys and girls with a particular focus on Gender Based Violence (GBV), Health, Water,
sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and Women’s Economic Empowerment. Read More...
This preliminary Rapid Gender Analysis has the following objectives:
● To analyse and understand the different impacts that the COVID-19 potentially has on women, men,
girls and boys and other vulnerable groups in the Pacific context
● To inform humanitarian programming in the Pacific region based on the different needs of women,
men, boys and girls with a particular focus on Gender Based Violence (GBV), Health, Water,
sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and Women’s Economic Empowerment. Read More...
Inter-agency Response to Tropical Cyclone Gita Tonga
In response to the damage and the immediate needs of the affected population, taking in to account the expertise of the agencies, MORDI Trust Tonga (MORDI), Live & Learn Environmental Education (LLEE) and CARE Australia (CARE) formed a partnership to deliver humanitarian assistance on the islands of Tongatapu and ‘Eua.
The response program included assistance provided in the areas of shelter, WASH, food security and livelihoods, with an underlying focus on gender and social inclusion. Donor funding for the response program through CARE Australia included DFAT funding through the Australian Humanitarian Partnership, ECHO and the START Network. Additional grants directly to MORDI from Oxfam and Rotary/MFAT also formed part of the overall response program.
This report will aim to test the effectiveness and efficiency of the overall response program. Read More...
The response program included assistance provided in the areas of shelter, WASH, food security and livelihoods, with an underlying focus on gender and social inclusion. Donor funding for the response program through CARE Australia included DFAT funding through the Australian Humanitarian Partnership, ECHO and the START Network. Additional grants directly to MORDI from Oxfam and Rotary/MFAT also formed part of the overall response program.
This report will aim to test the effectiveness and efficiency of the overall response program. Read More...
Tropical Cyclone Gita Response Program Evaluation
Tropical Cyclone (TC) Gita, a Category 4 cyclone, struck Tonga in February 2018. CARE, Live and Learn, and MORDI (‘the partnership’) responded to the immediate needs of communities on Tongatapu and ‘Eua islands, delivering emergency shelter and hygiene kits. In the recovery phase the partnership supported communities with shelter, repairs to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure, and food security and livelihood recovery efforts, including a specific project focused on the recovery priorities of seven women’s groups on ‘Eua island.
CARE commissioned this evaluation to assess the assistance provided through the response and recovery program in the first six months (February – August 2018). The evaluation focused on four main areas of enquiry: the partnership, the response, gender and inclusion, and localisation.
This report documents the findings from the evaluation and provides forward-looking recommendations for the partnership and for preparedness and future emergency response in Tonga. Read More...
CARE commissioned this evaluation to assess the assistance provided through the response and recovery program in the first six months (February – August 2018). The evaluation focused on four main areas of enquiry: the partnership, the response, gender and inclusion, and localisation.
This report documents the findings from the evaluation and provides forward-looking recommendations for the partnership and for preparedness and future emergency response in Tonga. Read More...
Tropical Cyclone Gita Summary
2 page summary of the Cyclone Gita response Final Evaluation: http://www.careevaluations.org/evaluation/tropical-cyclone-gita-response-program-evaluation/
When Tropical Cyclone Gita, a Category 4 cyclone, struck Tonga on Monday 12 February 2018 it affected 80,000 men, women, boys and girls—roughly 70% of the entire population. CARE, Live and Learn, and MORDI formed a partnership to respond to the immediate needs of those affected on both ‘Eua and Tongatapu. In the response phase, the partnership delivered emergency shelter and hygiene kits. In the recovery phase, the partnership supported communities with shelter, repairs to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure, and food security and livelihood recovery efforts. In total the response supported 10,570 individuals (4,946 men and 5,624 women) Read More...
When Tropical Cyclone Gita, a Category 4 cyclone, struck Tonga on Monday 12 February 2018 it affected 80,000 men, women, boys and girls—roughly 70% of the entire population. CARE, Live and Learn, and MORDI formed a partnership to respond to the immediate needs of those affected on both ‘Eua and Tongatapu. In the response phase, the partnership delivered emergency shelter and hygiene kits. In the recovery phase, the partnership supported communities with shelter, repairs to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure, and food security and livelihood recovery efforts. In total the response supported 10,570 individuals (4,946 men and 5,624 women) Read More...
Tropical Cyclone Gita Response Program Evaluation
Tropical Cyclone (TC) Gita, a Category 4 cyclone, struck Tonga in February 2018. CARE, Live and Learn, and MORDI (‘the partnership’) responded to the immediate needs of communities on Tongatapu and ‘Eua islands, delivering emergency shelter and hygiene kits. In the recovery phase the partnership supported communities with shelter, repairs to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure, and food security and livelihood recovery efforts, including a specific project focused on the recovery priorities of seven women’s groups on ‘Eua island.
CARE commissioned this evaluation to assess the assistance provided through the response and recovery program in the first six months (February – August 2018). The evaluation focused on four main areas of enquiry: the partnership, the response, gender and inclusion, and localisation. This report documents the findings from the evaluation and provides forward-looking recommendations for the partnership and for preparedness and future emergency response in Tonga. The response impact was impressive, supporting a total of 10,570 individuals (4,946 men and 5,624 women). Read More...
CARE commissioned this evaluation to assess the assistance provided through the response and recovery program in the first six months (February – August 2018). The evaluation focused on four main areas of enquiry: the partnership, the response, gender and inclusion, and localisation. This report documents the findings from the evaluation and provides forward-looking recommendations for the partnership and for preparedness and future emergency response in Tonga. The response impact was impressive, supporting a total of 10,570 individuals (4,946 men and 5,624 women). Read More...