A Siumu family has finally come home to a brand new “Built Back Better” fale after losing theirs to 2012’s Cyclone Evan.
Utu Talo and his family last week celebrated the completion of their new $15,000 house, which was built by the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (A.D.R.A.) and the United Nations Development Programme (U.N.D.P.).
The home is part of the partnership’s Cyclone Evan Shelter Reconstruction Project and could not have been completed without the help of the local companies the Tank Guy and Bluebird Lumber and Hardware.
In the aftermath of Evan, A.D.R.A and the U.N.D.P. have been assisting those families most in need.
A.D.R.A Country Director in Samoa, Su’a Julia Wallwork, said that the aim of the Build Back Better Project is to provide shelter and resources to those who lost their homes in the cyclone.
“A.D.R.A. is committed to its purpose in need and we were committed to see that those who lost their homes are able to have shelter,” said Mrs Su’a.
“In the twelve months after Cyclone Evans we were able to build shelters for more than 200 families.”
She said that there are continuing challenges.
“[That] is the selection of beneficiaries, who should get it or who shouldn’t,” she said. “And there are so many that seem to be having the same need so it hasn’t been easy for the U.N.D.P., (the Samoan) Government and A.D.R.A. “(However), I am certain that this project will go forward, and be successful in making a difference.”
U.N.D.P. Deputy Representative Anthony Wood said his agency was fulfilling its role as a supporter of Build Back Better as it is a member of both the shelter cluster group for the South Pacific Region and a Shelter Sub Committee member for the Post Disaster Needs Assessment for Cyclone Evan 2012.
“The Build Back Better principle is based on the notion of utilising opportunities created by natural disasters to build in disaster resilience during reconstruction to a standard higher than what was there before,” he said.
“The purpose of this project is to prepare households for future catastrophic weather events, which are likely to happen more often and severely than before.”
He added that, “with much of the damage focused on rural areas, one cyclone resistant dwelling means a household is better equipped to recover their livelihoods without the immediate need of accessing shelter”.
He also highlighted that the project plans to address households located in at-risk areas with an objective to aid relocation to safer ground.
“As the executing partner for this project we would like to express our appreciation to the Adventist Development and Relief Agency whose extensive experience in shelter reconstruction and community liaison has proved to be a huge asset project,” he said.
As for Utu Talo getting a new house is a blessing for his family.
“I have nothing much to say but from me and (my) family, thank you very much to A.D.R.A., U.N.D.P., also to Tank Guy Company and Bluebird,” he said.
“God sees everything and we hope and prayer that you will continue to be blessed after giving and building us a new shelter – fa’afetai tele lava!”
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